Proposed license policy (draft 2)

[Maciej Stachowiak <mjs eazel com>]

Here is a revised version of the license policy. I took into account
the concerns Miguel, Ettore, and others had about GPL libraries, and
made a few minor tweaks. Here are the changes from the first draft:

- Made clear that GPL-compatible is the next-best thing after GPL for
  applications.
- Made clear that being part of the platform is, in general, on a
  per-library, not per-package basis.
- Added GPL platform

It's funny how these things always get longer with each revision. :-)

Further comments are welcome. I'd especially love to hear from people
who think GPL libraries are important.

Regards,

Maciej


------------------

GNOME License Policy (draft 2)

* All packages released as part of a GNOME release (including an extra
  apps release or an office release) must be free software as
  determined by the Debian Free Software Guidelines / Open Source
  Definition. GPL is preferred (except for libraries, particularly
  ones that are part of the devel platform). GPL-compatible licensing
  is strongly preferred.

* All libraries that become part of the GNOME Development Platform
  must have a license that allows for use by both GPL code and
  proprietary code. Acceptable licenses include LGPL, X-style license
  with no advertising clause, and dual MPL/GPL. LGPL is strongly
  preferred. Being declared part of the platform is generally on a
  per-library, not per-package basis. The GNOME project should
  maintain a list of what libraries in what packages are part of the
  GNOME Development Platform.

* Libraries that do not meet the above license criteria but are GPL or
  GPL compatible may be declared part of the GNOME GPL Development
  Platform. The maintainers must commit to following the Platform
  Compatibility Policy. Such libraries should not be for essential
  functionality needed by desktop applications, but only for add-ons,
  conveniences, and extra features. As above, being declared part of
  the GPL platform is generally on a per-library, not per-package
  basis. The GNOME project should maintain a list of what libraries in
  what packages are part of the GNOME GPL Development Platform.




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