[GRASS5] GRASS connecting to external software

[Roger Bivand]

On Tue, 14 Mar 2006 jan at intevation.de wrote:

> On Tuesday 14 March 2006 00:45, Markus Neteler wrote:
> > Let me ask again:
> > 
> > how could a (say, fictive) project such GRASS-ABM, written
> > in JAVA and not GPLed for whatsoever reason, make use of
> > GRASS modules?
> > 
> > I hope that the answer isn't: "use a proprietary GIS".
> 
> the answer should be: "GRASS-ABM should better go for a
> GPL compatible license to take advantage of GRASS".
> 
> I would like to see the GRASS team defend this and take
> it as a strong benefit rather than trying to help others to keep
> their developments separate from GRASS.
> 
> The easier to use GRASS without being
> GPL compatible the less contributions GRASS will receive
> in the mid term.
> 
> Does the benefit of GRASS-ABM using GRASS really weight
> out this? I don't know.
> 
> > In my opinion we should work on a solution for this
> > problem.
> 
> Tell GRASS-ABM that they should either think about a GPL
> compatible license or on some "bridging" layers under a GPL compatible
> license. The latter is sort of a grey area, but depending on
> the actual needs of GRASS-ABM there can be practical solutions.

I agree. They should consider their options carefully, and go with GPL
unless they have very good reasons not to. If that is the case, then they
will need bridging layers that mean that users download and install GRASS,
and their non-GPL software uses GRASS at arm's length (shell or other
scripts, system() calls, possibly calls to LGLP'ed libraries if they
appear - though from earlier discussion this does not seem to be a viable
option, ...). People can have different opinions, but the positive 
consequences of information externalities coming from GPL should not be 
overlooked.

Roger

> 
> Best
> 
> 	Jan
> 
> 

-- 
Roger Bivand
Economic Geography Section, Department of Economics, Norwegian School of
Economics and Business Administration, Helleveien 30, N-5045 Bergen,
Norway. voice: +47 55 95 93 55; fax +47 55 95 95 43
e-mail: Roger.Bivand at nhh.no