Re: Using GPL for LibGTop with an exception for the GNOME Project

[Lyndon Drake <lyndon stat auckland ac nz>]

On Tue, Feb 23, 1999 at 03:39:57PM +1300, Sam Vilain wrote:
> Miguel de Icaza <miguel@nuclecu.unam.mx> writes:
> 
> > > I understand your frustration, but the question here was "GPL vs 
> > > LGPL", not "GPL vs non-copyleft". The worst thing that can happen
> > > to libGtop is that a proprietry vendor dynamically links to it.
> > > 
> > > Who knows, this may even serve to educate the vendor.
> > 
> > Well, what a better way to educate this vendor than making him aware
> > of the virtues of free software?  If Gtop were released under the GPL,
> > who know, maybe a big program of his, say, a distributed system
> > monitor would be donated to the community under a free license?
> 
> IBM (Tivoli) already have an equivalent of libGtop that they use for
> their distributed monitoring.  HP probably do with Openview as well.
> They don't need libGTop.
> 
> Maybe there should be a licence between the LGPL and the GPL that
> allows free software to link to it only; ie if the license is anything
> up to as loose as BSD.  Then somehow make it a license violation to
> make the linked code non-free.

Could the GPL be used with exceptions for software that has a BSD or
other similar license.  The acceptable licenses could be listed in the
distribution.  Or would exceptions have to be granted for individual
projects?

Lyndon