> >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 ;)
Blimey.
> >3) Modifications to GPL code (like other OSS licenses) must be republished.
>
> Not all OSS or Free software licenses mandate republishing. (ie Apache).
To a point. If you change an apache class then yes, but if you extend or use it then
replication
is not necessary.
> >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.
>From what I have read, you can use Xerces in a GPL app, but not distribute it. This
>is because
the W3C licensed SAX API allows multiple implementations. As such the person running
a GPL app
could choose to run Xerces instead of a GPL approved parser. The point being that as
long as the
GPL app is not compiled against, or distributed with Xerces, it's not in breach.
Would JDK 1.4's parser? Yes, as it's part of the JDK and hence appowed as part of the
"operating
system" or "hosted environment" concessions. Weird. Sun have a far more closed
license than
Apache, yet pass the GPL compatability test on the basis that they are providing it as
part of the
JDK.
Wat too about Apache licensed software if Sun included it in the JDK?
> >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 ;)
Never, I am very happy with the terms of the Apache license. What I am peed off about
is that the
FSF maintains some "Any color you like as long as it is black" attidude to (we'll say)
20 fine OSI
approved licenses.
If we declare Avalon to be an operating system, we might, without any further changes
to terms and
conditions or licenses, be compatible with the GPL becase of it's "get out of jail"
clause for
such layers in a computing environment.
Not so you say - Avalon is definately not an OS. True, but then neither is Java.
Without much of
stretch of thinking, we should be able to determine that no Java code at all can
possibly be
compatible with the GPL. Ahh, but the GPL zealots say that there is Kaffe/Classpath
to allow
compatiblity with GPL (multiple implementations). That's great but those are massively
imcomplete. There is not Swing or other heavier APIs, and any work that they have
done is so
close to the orginal art of Sun et al, that copyright infringement is probably an
issue.
GPL is completely insane for toolkits, services and APIs. Its only patronised by
people that are
new to the "cause" of open source, or those too proud to admin they have made the
wrong choice of
open source license (the second half of that is paraphrasing your comments Peter
(entirely valid)
during the spat with the JBoss people late last year).
Anyway, I really think by a process of declaration and gap filling we could grant
Avalon the
status of operating system, at least to the level that the JDK has been. ApacheOS is
born.
Avalon plus beaucoup de hosted services. We have Cocoon, Locomotive, FTP, James. In
the wings are
others, plus some of your glimmers like DNS and mine like Jesktop.
All we have to do is define a feature gap, with the already loose definition of
operating system
in mind.
Regards,
- Paul H
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