Re: License problem with Re: AvantGo

[Erik Bågfors <bagfors pdc kth se>]

On Sun, Nov 14, 1999 at 06:27:13PM -0500, Alan Shutko wrote:
> Eskil Heyn Olsen <deity@dbc.dk> writes:
> 
> > So it would be the number 3 issue that would be a problem, that linking
> > MPL'ed code into a GPL'ed would violate the GPL. So basically we would not
> > violate MAL's MPL, but gnome-pilots GPL. And we would have to link with
> > gnome-pilot to make it a gnome-conduit (seems any sort of linking is
> > prohibited).
> 
> Two ways you can go.  Include a special exception in the license to
> allow linking with MAL, or switch the gnome-conduit stuff to LGPL.  It
> makes sense: there are non-free pilot-sync apps, so even RMS's
> guidelines would allow the LGPL.  And this is going to cause problems
> if 3rd parties ever get into making conduits for their own apps.

Most libraries in GNOME is licenced under the LGPL because the developers
want people to be able to create non-free programs for gnome.  I think 
this is the way to go.  

If we want gnome-pilot to be a big success we must allow non-free conduits 
to be built ontop of it.  If not, no comercial company will write conduits 
for gnome-pilot (unless they are GPL-fans).

The gnome-pilot-libraries shouldn be LGPL IMHO.  This doesn't mean that the 
rest of gnome-pilot should be LGPL but at least the libraries.

/Erik

-- 
Erik Bågfors               | http://www.acc.umu.se/~bagfors/
Email: bagfors@pdc.kth.se  | Center for Parallel Computers
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