Hello, * almkglor wrote on Mon, Mar 09, 2009 at 02:45:09PM CET: > > I'm building an open-source project that is currently under a permissive MIT > license. Since the project is getting complex, I'm thinking of using > Automake+Autoconf to help handle portability.
Great! > What I'd like to know is, does using Automake+Autoconf require me to > license distributions built using them with the GPL? No, it doesn't, as was already mentioned. > From what I could glean, it's not necessary, provided I write my own > "missing.sh". The other files auto-produced by `automake --foreign > --add-missing' seem to have a clause saying something about distributing > them under a different license. The `missing' script should do so, too. The current git Automake version of this script contains this: # As a special exception to the GNU General Public License, if you # distribute this file as part of a program that contains a # configuration script generated by Autoconf, you may include it under # the same distribution terms that you use for the rest of that program. This statement has been added in 2001 already, and all of the `missing' scripts from GNU Automake since then have it. > I'd just like confirmation, because I've tried searching "automake license", > "autoconf license", "autoconf permissive license" etc. and can't find a > definitive "You must absolutely use GPL for your package" or "You can use > any license for your package" or "You can use any GPL-compatible license for > your package". We are in the process of moving to GPLv3+ plus exceptions. The lawyerese process for rewriting the exception specification is not fully done yet, which is why Autoconf 1.10 has been released with GPLv2+ plus exception. But the intent is that distributing packages that are built through normal use of autotools is not limited (you could even use a proprietary license). Of course, as always with legal advice, I have to add that I am not a lawyer, nor is there likely to be one on this list who will and can give you binding advice; so if that's what you're looking for, then you need to ask one. Hope that helps. Cheers, Ralf
