Hi all; It has occurred to me that since we have begun trying to replacing all SQL-Ledger code, we have not discussed whether we want to stay with the GPL v2 or later, or whether we want to look at licensing new code under a different but compatible license. Note that for the foreseable future (probably next ten years or even forever) the license for the work as a whole would be unable to change due to dependencies on translation files, and other things.
The big concern that's been discussed in the past (alas, in private) is that a number of us on the development team aren't really comfortable with the GPL v3 but feel that the GPL v2 or higher may force us in that direction. So I figure I would ask everyone for now what their thoughts are. The prevailing interpretation of the GPL among the core team has been that use of our API does not create a work based on our software and therefore needs not be covered under specific copyright license requirements as it is. This places the GPL v2, in our view, somewhere between the FSF's view of the GPL v2 and the FSF's view of the LGPL (I assume that actually inheriting our classes would create derivative works, but merely logically linking would not). Since tables, stored procedures, and perl functions are all API's this limits the GPL to cases where our code is used as a basis for other code (either through literal or non-literal copying), or where our classes are inherited. So here's the big question: Suppose we start taking all new contributions under a BSD-style license starting in the very near future. The work as a whole would still be under the GPL v2 or later because it isn't practical to just rip out the GPL-bound code and probably will never be. If the work as a whole ends up having to move to the GPL v3 or later due to other licensing considerations, but we have a greater ability to choose a different license at that point if we need to. So, suppose we do this. What would it mean for contribution? If you are a current developer, would you be more or less likely to contribute in the future if the code was BSD-licensed? If you are not a current developer, would you be more or less likely to join development in the future if the code was BSD-licensed? Two other peripheral comments: The first is it isn't 100% clear to me what it would mean license-wise to mix BSD-style licenses and the GPL v3. I have discussed this with both Eben Moglen and Richard Fontana in the past who have given me mutually exclusive reasons why the licenses are compatible, and those reasons are sufficiently incompatible that the only real assurance is the idea that because these licenses are intended to be compatible, the GPL v3 will be read as to be compatible with the BSD license (though I am not 100% sure Moglen agrees with that). The issue is whether the BSD license can be properly reduced to GPL v3 + additional permissions with the ability to revoke those permissions without changing the code (Moglen says yes, Fontana says no. Moglen says this is a requirement. Fontana says the GPL v3 must be read to be compatible with the BSD license--- if Moglen is right about the GPL v3 and Fontana is right about the BSD license, they are not compatible, but the SFLC's work generally sides more with Fontana here, so....). The larger assurance is that evolving norms in the community see these licenses as compatible so I doubt these will be read to be incompatible. The second is this. I am planning on writing reference implementations for the stored procedure discovery routines in other languages, namely PHP and Python. At present I don't see a reason not to license these pieces of my work under a BSD-style license, though I am open to comment here. Anyway what does everyone else think? Best Wishes, Chris Travers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Write once. Port to many. Get the SDK and tools to simplify cross-platform app development. Create new or port existing apps to sell to consumers worldwide. Explore the Intel AppUpSM program developer opportunity. appdeveloper.intel.com/join http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-appdev _______________________________________________ Ledger-smb-devel mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/ledger-smb-devel
