[GRASS5] why GPL

[Bernhard Reiter]

On Tue, Mar 27, 2001 at 02:08:55AM -0800, strobe anarkhos wrote:
> At 9:58 AM +0200 3/27/01, Jan-Oliver Wagner wrote:
> >On Mon, Mar 26, 2001 at 06:30:20PM -0800, strobe anarkhos wrote:
> >> The problem is any form of linking other than linking by hard
> >> drive (which for some reason is exempt from the GPL derivative
> >> restriction) forces any remote usage of GRASS to adopt the GPL.

> So 'scripting' is not linking, but what if I'm using a system-wide
> notification, or what if I'm making an object public on a server.
> I mean when I connect to that object it ends up being a link.

Strobe you are right in the way that new methods of "linking"
have made the interpretation what a derived work is very difficult.
This is why there probably will be a GPLv3 addressing these
problems.

> What is the distinction? In all cases you need to know the
> interface.

One rule of thumb is:
How much depends the software on the GPLled software.
If it can be run with other software then it can be seen as a
non-derived work. 

Another one:

Software which is on a system and considered
part of the operating system is not a derived work. 
This holds for a C library as well as scripting languages.

> I mean where is the dividing line between derivative work and
> non-derivative work? An IPC call? A TCP packet? A printed command
> mailed anonymously to a Swiss bank?

You are welcomed to contribute to this hard legal question.
Please use the gnu.misc.discuss newsgroup or similiar forums for it.
The details are of minor interest for most in this GRASS development
list. A short look on source-forge and freshmeat will tell you that
the GNU GPL is the dominant license by a factor of ten. As this is
not a hard number (because it is not representative towards all Free
Software project) it shows that a lot of people like the stronger
protection of the GNU GPL. 

	Bernhard


-- 
Professional Service around Free Software                (intevation.net)  
The FreeGIS Project                                         (freegis.org)
Association for a Free Informational Infrastructure            (ffii.org)
FSF Europe                                            	  (fsfeurope.org)
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 248 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/grass-dev/attachments/20010327/3d49a0db/attachment.bin