On Wed, 9 Aug 2000, Jeffry Smith wrote:
> The issue is that the QT license is incompatible with the GPL (imposes
> additional restrictions). Since KDE is distributed under GPL, and GPL
> requires that distribution be with no more restrictions, KDE cannot be
> distributed with QT, but must be downloaded separately.
Even then, there is a fair amount of debate over whether a dynamically
linked KDE's GPL license really interacts with a dynamically linked Qt's QPL
license. I don't want to raise that debate here, or weigh in on either side
of it; suffice it to say that not everyone is in agreement over this.
> 1. Add an explicit QT exception to the KDE license (some parts have this,
> and Debian distributes them). This does create the issue that it
> emphasizes the parts of KDE that were not KDE written, and thus KDE folks
> are vulnerable to suit.
There are those that argue this is infeasible, because, rather like the
Linux kernel, KDE has a great many contributors, and you must get them all to
agree to the license change. The logistics alone are a problem.
> 2. Modify the QT license to be compatible with GPL.
It is unlikely Troll Tech will dispose of their revenue stream.
> 3. Distribute KDE under a different license, such as the LGPL. Like 1,
> it brings out the non-KDE written code in KDE.
See #1.
--
Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Net Technologies, Inc. <http://www.ntisys.com>
Voice: (800)905-3049 x18 Fax: (978)499-7839
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