[GRASS5] why GPL

strobe anarkhos anarkhos at mac.com
Thu Mar 22 10:03:59 EST 2001


Why is GRASS licensed under the GPL? I would think the LGPL would be far more appropriate. 

It is possible for the authors of the original code to re-release their code under the LGPL or another license. If we decide to restructure GRASS I think this would be a very very good idea. People who may want to write plugings (views, commands (and other controllers), etc.) for the GRASS framework I propose may want to use their own license. If the code is only released in GPL form that's not allowed given the current (read: RMS) interpretation of the GPL.

If however it were licensed under the LGPL people could use the framework without making their code GPL. I mean what if somebody wants to write an intricate shareware view for a particular platform? Nobody is forced to use his view and custom controllers, but some may want to even if they don't get the source. Changes to the GRASS framework would of course have to be LGPL licensed (which is the purpose of the license). 

I consider this a serious issue which I hope I find common ground with. I suspect GRASS was released under the GPL because the LGPL hadn't been written yet.

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