I been reading a few things about using libraries and stuff but they all talk about not using it for commercial purposes.
Does commercial mean when you earn money by putting a ad to support you or is it something else like for a big company?
I been reading a few things about using libraries and stuff but they all talk about not using it for commercial purposes.
Does commercial mean when you earn money by putting a ad to support you or is it something else like for a big company?
You note in your comments that you're most interested in three.js, a JavaScript 3-D animation library.
The license file for three.js is the plain MIT License. Examining the history makes it plain that, aside from a brief stint where it was released via GPL 3.0, the license has been MIT since the project began. Neither the MIT license nor the GPL prohibit commercial use, although the latter does require you to distribute source code to any users of your software who request it.
Are you thinking of some other library?
In general, software publishers who mark software "not for commercial use" really should spell out what they mean, even if it's only by referencing a particular law's definition. Especially since Creative Commons is a thing now.
FWIW, even Creative Commons has had problems with their "commercial use" definition. They even commissioned a study, and found a rather clear lack of consensus. And that ambiguity is precisely what you don't want as a licensor, or even really a licensee.
If you encounter a "no commercial use" clause in a library you want to use, you can either contact the maintainer and ask about your specific use, or decide to be mean and just plow ahead with what you think you could convince a judge a reasonable person might interpret as "no commerical use." (no points for guessing which one is the wiser move.)
Commercial (in very general terms) refers to monetizing their software for your use. Example, you use one of the libraries that is designated for NON-commercial use, you would not be able to sell the application or make any kind of money off of it in anyways. Possibly, this extends to your website if it is ad supported as well. However, you would be able to use their libraries/software for personal use or open-source projects as long as you aren't trying to sell it.