[GRASS-dev] Re: [GRASS5] GEM in CVS

[Benjamin Ducke]

Hmmm, interesting points being raised here.
Frankly, I developed GEM with purely functional
aspects in mind and did not worry about license
issues.
But since this is our software, I guess we are
free to add any license we want to GEM!
A dogmatic approach would be to add a license to
GEM that prohibits its use with non-GPL code.
Maybe we should have a vote on that?

Benjamin

Hamish wrote:
>>I think that there are good examples of free software using
>>repositories of add-on packages very effectively. For example, R (the
>>statistics package) comes with basic functionality out of the box, but
>>there are dozens (maybe hundreds) of cool add-on packages that can be
>>downloaded and installed with a click of the mouse.
> 
> 
> Sure, I've used it.
> 
> 
>>Being included in the GRASS-sanctioned package manager would be pretty
>>good motivation to make your code free.
> 
> 
> Your code doesn't have to be Free to use the GEM. One of the strongest
> points GEM brings to GRASS is easy integration of in-house (proprietary)
> code into the main GRASS system. Customization and flexibility are
> great. However, this can be used as an easy end-run around the GPL - you
> are prohibited from distributing Free and non-Free binaries together.
> AFAIU, the GEM will let you distribute non-Free source with GRASS
> legally, and then automatically compile once at the user end.
> 
> This will help some folks out who would otherwise be stuck in a legal
> bind, I'm not against helping them. I don't want us to make it too easy
> for people, so they won't bother to put up a fight with their boss to
> get some code released as GPL.
> 
> I hope that makes my point more clear, I am not at all anti-GEM, just
> wondering how we would handle possible GPL-abuse and dilution of effort.
> 
> 
> Hamish
> 
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> 

-- 
Benjamin Ducke, M.A.
Archäoinformatik
(Archaeo-Information Science)
Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte
(Institute of Archaeology)
Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
Johanna-Mestorf-Straße 2-6
D 24098 Kiel
Germany

Tel.: ++49 (0)431 880-3378 / -3379
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