On jeudi 7 janvier 2021 18:18:03 CET Vincent Picavet (ml) wrote: > Hi, > > On 07/01/2021 10:43, Nyall Dawson wrote: > > On Thu, 7 Jan 2021 at 19:13, Topi Tjukanov <[email protected]> wrote: > [..] > > >> So if this really is a requirement, should this be enforced somehow and > >> checked when plugins are accepted to the official repository? > > > > Agreed, but keep in mind that it's a little tricky sometimes. A plugin > > ONLY > > has to make the modules which import QGIS classes GPL (and consequently > > any > > other modules which import these modules). It is entirely possible to > > separate plugins into two isolated components, a non-GPL "core" layer > > which > > does NOT use any QGIS modules, and a GPL layer which imports both the QGIS > > modules and the non-gpl core. (This is how the licensed SLYR plugin works, > > for reference). > > I would not bet any cent on these assertions. Would you have any serious > references supporting this ? > > The GPL licence makes the code "viral" through the notion of "link". For > Python module, it is through import. A link is bidirectionnal, and > therefore your whole package if distributed is considered GPL. > > As far as I know, the only way to have a GPL/proprietary coexistence is to > have distinct processes and inter-process communication ( through files, > web interfaces... ). And it can be even trickier if there are strong > dependencies between modules, which can be interpreted as "derived product" > or "link", even if there is no link as in "library link" between the > modules.
Those situations are tricky. Nyall's case looks to me a bit similar to the NVIDIA Linux kernel module: - Linux kernel core : GPL - shim layer for the NVIDIA driver: GPL - NVIDIA blob that doesn't call GPL code: proprietary NVIDIA claims that the blob isn't considered a derived work of the Linux kernel as it is OS-independent work. Only a judge can ultimately decide what is a derived work or not. Reference to a discussion regarding the NVIDIA case: https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmdA5WkDNALetBn4iFeSepHjdLGJdxPBwZyY47ir1bZGAK/comp/ linux/gpl_modules.html https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#GPLIncompatibleLibs might also be relevant. -- Spatialys - Geospatial professional services http://www.spatialys.com _______________________________________________ QGIS-Developer mailing list [email protected] List info: https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-developer Unsubscribe: https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-developer
