Re: [guppi-list] Guppi as a mime-type handler

[Neil J Pilgrim <eennjp electeng leeds ac uk>]

"Steven G. Johnson" wrote:
> 
> Note, by the way, that the license of NetCDF
> (http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/netcdf/copyright.html) is
> incompatible with the GPL due to the fact that it contains an
> "advertising clause" restriction not permitted by the GPL (see also
> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/bsd.html).  There are ways to resolve
> this sort of thing: an explicit license exception for NetCDF, for
> example, or placing certain portions of Guppi under the LGPL, or...

Well given that its been packaged and doesn't appear under non-free in
debian, plus the bottom of:

http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/mfs/70/2865?54#mfs

says that a RMS-suggested change means that it does now not restrict
free redistribution, etc. Also there is reference to GPL software using
netCDF, which includes Grace.

In addition, there are references elsewhere in their email archive which
suggest that they think the software is 'public domain', which implies
there should be *no* problem, or at least that they'd be amenable to a
license-change, if it is now necessary.

[HDF5 as alternative file-format]

Having looked at the docs for both briefly, HDF5 looks much more complex
and overkill for 'just' data, but there's no reason it couldn't be added
too :)

-- 
Neil