Re: ORBit2 and linc - licensing?

[matthew copeland honeywell com]

> > 
> > Oh well, the advertising clause does only say you have to mention
> > OpenSSL if you are advertising the features provided by OpenSSL. So
> > perhaps as long as the Entity doesn't use SSL, they are fine after all.
> 
> This may be true.  However, this does make it GPL-incompatible.  Thus,
> we won't be able to link to ORBit in GPL apps since ORBit will be linked
> to OpenSSL.

	In turn, this could make it LGPL incompatible.  One example might
be, if you look at section 8 of the license,

"8. You may not copy, modify, sublicense, link with, or distribute the
Library except as expressly provided under this License. Any attempt
otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense, link with, or distribute the
Library is void, and will automatically terminate your rights under this
License. However, parties who have received copies, or rights, from you
under this License will not have their licenses terminated so long as such
parties remain in full compliance." -- LGPL

and now look at section 3,

"3. You may opt to apply the terms of the ordinary GNU General Public
License instead of this License to a given copy of the Library. To do
this, you must alter all the notices that refer to this License, so that
they refer to the ordinary GNU General Public License, version 2, instead
of to this License. (If a newer version than version 2 of the ordinary GNU
General Public License has appeared, then you can specify that version
instead if you wish.) Do not make any other change in these notices.

Once this change is made in a given copy, it is irreversible for that
copy, so the ordinary GNU General Public License applies to all subsequent
copies and derivative works made from that copy.

This option is useful when you wish to copy part of the code of the
Library into a program that is not a library."



You will have effectively eliminated the possibility of using this clause,
which could be construed as a modification of the license.  I would highly
suggest before a decision is made on the usage of OpenSSL under its
modified BSD license, that someone consult the FSF people by e-mailing
licensing gnu org, and explaining to them the situation and asking what is
or is not acceptable under the Lesser GPL.

Matthew M. Copeland
matthewc designlab ukans edu