At 10:03 AM 6/4/01 +0100, Paul Hammant wrote:
>David (and others)...
>
>To summarize the pitfalls from the point of view of Java:
>
>1) GPL code can't import non approved licenses, nor be imported by non
approved licenses (with the
>exception of the underlying operating system, JDK, or major OS-like
interface - HTTPServlet etc).

HttpServlet is only allowed because it is part of the J2EE JDK.

>2) GPL code can be modified by a business or org and kept secret, provided
the code is not
>distributed out again.

neither may the binary. RSN it will even become difficult to allow people
to use software without giving them access to sourcecode. So if you have a
GPLed http server then anyone who visits your site has to have access to
source of server. RMS got miffed that service providers were using GPL code
but not recontributing changes ;)

>3) Modifications to GPL code (like other OSS licenses) must be republished. 

Not all OSS or Free software licenses mandate republishing. (ie Apache).

>4) GPL likes Xerces because Xerces implements a W3C interface (approved).
The linking of the
>Xerces classes is achieved through a factory that *could* have multiple
implementations (somthing
>the GPL likes very much).  If you import any org.apache.* class (and other
utilities under many
>other OSI approved licenses) you are in breach of GPL.

Actually xerces may not be used by GPL app even though it goes through a PD
interface. The exception is only allowed when it is considered hosted
component.
>Avalon
>======
>
>This leads us neatly on to Avalon, If Avalon's interfaces were declared
"Operating system", then
>they would be granted the same excepmtion as JDK classes would (they are a
commercial license). 
>People are going to object here, citing examples like not file system
implemented in Avalon....
>
>It is my opinion that OS is where we should head....

The problem is that almost all of Avalon is involved with hosted components
and thus all of it would have be BSDL or X11 licensed. This would involve
convincing all Avalon committers, the PMC and the Board. Feel free to try ;)




Cheers,

Pete

*-----------------------------------------------------*
| "Faced with the choice between changing one's mind, |
| and proving that there is no need to do so - almost |
| everyone gets busy on the proof."                   |
|              - John Kenneth Galbraith               |
*-----------------------------------------------------*


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