On Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 10:03 PM, Mike Boone wrote:
> I'm not experienced with Ruby's source code. The only files which
> mention the GPL in LEGAL are parse.c and util.c. Is the "vanilla"
> MacRuby using those? If not, it seems there is no issue, but perhaps
> the documentation should reflect this.
If you look closely at the license text in parse.c there is a special exception 
for programs that are not parser generators, which would cover the use of 
parse.c in Ruby. As for util.c, the only section of the code mentioning the GPL 
is surrounded with pre-processor directives that only include the code in 
question on Windows builds (and, so far as I am aware, no one has compiled 
MacRuby on Windows yet).

As for clarification, I think project documentation is not really the place for 
legal advice. If you want, you can go to the FSF (http://www.fsf.org/ -- which 
has already approved the Ruby license as a "free software license" and 
compatible with the GPL) or the OSI (http://opensource.org/ -- who have not, 
yet, issued an opinion on the Ruby license) for more guidance. If you need more 
assistance understanding the licensing issues than these organizations can 
provide, or if you feel that there is a significant risk to your business or 
livelihood, I would recommend contacting an IP lawyer for further advice.

- Josh
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