Am I legally allowed to distribute any .ocx files with my prog?

[Justin M]

Am I legally allowed to distribute any .ocx files with my prog?

If not, how would my prog work on someone elses comp?

EDIT: Here is my setup, these are ones i am suspicious about

this was made in inno script

; begin VB system files
; (Note: Scroll to the right to see the full lines!)
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\Get_hardwa158533582003\Package\Support\stdole2.tlb"; DestDir: "{sys}"; OnlyBelowVersion: 0,6; Flags: restartreplace uninsneveruninstall sharedfile regtypelib
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\Get_hardwa158533582003\Package\Support\msvbvm60.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; OnlyBelowVersion: 0,6; Flags: restartreplace uninsneveruninstall sharedfile regserver
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\Get_hardwa158533582003\Package\Support\oleaut32.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; OnlyBelowVersion: 0,6; Flags: restartreplace uninsneveruninstall sharedfile regserver
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\Get_hardwa158533582003\Package\Support\olepro32.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; OnlyBelowVersion: 0,6; Flags: restartreplace uninsneveruninstall sharedfile regserver
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\Get_hardwa158533582003\Package\Support\asycfilt.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; OnlyBelowVersion: 0,6; Flags: restartreplace uninsneveruninstall sharedfile
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\Get_hardwa158533582003\Package\Support\comcat.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; OnlyBelowVersion: 0,6; Flags: restartreplace uninsneveruninstall sharedfile regserver
; end VB system files
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\MHX Antivirsu PRO 3.3\MHXAntivirus33PRO.exe"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\MHX Antivirsu PRO 3.3\COMCT232.OCX"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\MHX Antivirsu PRO 3.3\COMCTL32.OCX"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\MHX Antivirsu PRO 3.3\MSCOMCT2.OCX"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\MHX Antivirsu PRO 3.3\MSCOMCTL.OCX"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\MHX Antivirsu PRO 3.3\MSWINSCK.OCX"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\MHX Antivirsu PRO 3.3\RICHTX32.OCX"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion
Source: "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\MHX Antivirsu PRO 3.3\SYSINFO.OCX"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion

[RobDog888]

The OCX files are fine as MS actually has a redistributable package for them too. They want them to be distributable to support their development community and increase the useage of Visual Studio.

The dlls look ok too. Usually if you use a third party component you should check but the controls that come with VB6 and SP-6 are freely redistributable.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/197298

[Justin M]

alrighty,

now I have winhttp.dll but i dont think i can redistribute that.

If I can't, and my prog uses it.. how can they get my prog to work?

[RobDog888]

What is the winhttp.dll one? I dont see it in your list

[Justin M]

I took it out of my list its from my windows/system32

[dilettante]

See Is winhttp.dll re-distributable?

Note that for VS6 (or VB6) the redist.txt document is in: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio

VB6 controls are not freely redistributable. A redist license is granted to licensed developers as part of the general development license for VS6/VB6. Packages like those linked above are for updating or replacing lost or damaged component files when a legal VB6 application is installed, they are not a grant of free use.

Of course with each tick of the clock I imagine Microsoft cares less and less now.


I'd worry more about your packager technology. If I read it correctly that script seems to say to dump those components into the application directory. Wrong!

Check each library's .DEP file and:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\VB98\Wizards\PDWizard\VB6DEP.INI

These contain information on the proper default installation targets for most standard libraries.

[RobDog888]

Well yes of course you need to have a legal copy of VS/VB in order to legitimately redistribute them. I dont think we are talking about some other IDE using them etc.

[dilettante]

Well yes of course you need to have a legal copy of VS/VB in order to legitimately redistribute them. I dont think we are talking about some other IDE using them etc.

I agree it seems like an idiotic nit to pick. However we got caught with our hand in the cookie jar once because somebody was using the MSComm control from Excel using a registry hack to install a developer license key pirated from VB6.

There are sites out there still giving this "tip" out but Microsoft put a stop to most of them.

[Justin M]

Well we don't have to worry about illegitimate copies of VB


But I don't see how you guys could get in trouble for helping someone who did something they should not have. Its not like you guys knew what he was doing.

[dilettante]

Oh, I was talking about something going on at work. The "we" above was the company I was working for.