From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,HK_SCAM autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Received: by 10.236.61.132 with SMTP id w4mr37263110yhc.2.1415802069173; Wed, 12 Nov 2014 06:21:09 -0800 (PST) X-Received: by 10.140.37.83 with SMTP id q77mr38588qgq.7.1415802069153; Wed, 12 Nov 2014 06:21:09 -0800 (PST) Path: eternal-september.org!reader01.eternal-september.org!reader02.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!mx02.eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!usenet.blueworldhosting.com!feeder01.blueworldhosting.com!border2.nntp.dca1.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!u7no1088032qaz.1!news-out.google.com!u1ni10qah.0!nntp.google.com!i13no1088789qae.0!postnews.google.com!glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 06:21:09 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com Injection-Info: glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com; posting-host=50.250.123.221; posting-account=yiWntAoAAAC1KqC_shmxJYv07B9l6LNU NNTP-Posting-Host: 50.250.123.221 References: <87fvdr2vdv.fsf@adaheads.sparre-andersen.dk> <54609F34.4080201@spam.spam> <35f01472-3510-4f67-8765-006fa8591c35@googlegroups.com> <9tc8w.73007$ZT5.37595@fx07.iad> <22a3816a-4e89-48f0-a126-dce581781beb@googlegroups.com> <084b1934-9641-425e-85ec-293e0334413e@googlegroups.com> <86bf69c8-eb08-4696-b6c9-3784f5c42213@googlegroups.com> <1415776387.7960.41.camel@obry.net> <4b21e212-7744-433a-a939-a82ef63ce8cc@googlegroups.com> <1415791954.7960.59.camel@obry.net> <2c66b776-777b-4530-a1a3-21337cefab85@googlegroups.com> User-Agent: G2/1.0 MIME-Version: 1.0 Message-ID: <1ac854d1-36b7-4d06-b673-ad25cdb71736@googlegroups.com> Subject: Re: What exactly is the licensing situation with GNAT? From: David Botton Injection-Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 14:21:09 +0000 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Xref: news.eternal-september.org comp.lang.ada:23169 Date: 2014-11-12T06:21:09-08:00 List-Id: > > Add to that the the GPL compiler has completely closed down all advocac= y of Ada for the business world. >=20 > Has the GPL branch produced an opportunity for other compiler makers? The opportunity is there, however none have taken it. Partly because unfami= liarity with how to monetize Open Source projects, which in the case of mos= t companies to date it is through selling "Support" not the code or executa= bles as the product. > I understand that they, too, would mostly require customers with > deeper pockets. It is not required. It is one market. The problem is that Ada vendors got l= azy pursuing other venues since there was easy pickin' on the government ch= eese. > As a new customer, I would be >=20 > (1) needing an affordable compiler (Ada 2005, generics working) > (2) be fine with reduced support (cf. Apple, MS, etc.!) And you are the majority software developers even for Ada. I placed a busin= ess proposal in AdaCore's hands this last Monday to target your market. Tha= t proposal lays out how I plan on doing it with their being part or not. > and compiler vendors would need >=20 > (3) protection against freeloaders destroying their full support > business. No, what they need is a good product. AdaCore has that. No one that can aff= ord their support walks away because of bad service. It was shortsighted th= inking on their part to make their public version Shareware killing off all= startups and serious business investments in Ada. That is my goal to correct that. I'll be posting various aspects of the Gno= ga business model soon, today I will be starting with its goals in another = post. > For (3) to work, have contracts include a clause that limits > customers who want to employ the affordable compiler in unjust > enrichment. Unjust.... I am afraid that thinking is pre-the FSF movement, Gnat is built= on GCC and has to be released GPL and the US taxpayer money which also req= uired it be freely available, etc. Would you say it is unjust that AdaCore is profiting on GCC? AdaCore has _not been_ unjust, even though not super timely, they have give= n back to the FSF updates. They are just outside the "spirit" and "intent" of the above and doing thin= gs to hurt Ada advocacy outside of their niche market. Yes Stallman's position is that he wished he could put a GPL Virus in the c= ompiler, but he states clearly he _didn't_ to advocate the use of Free soft= ware... So let's see AdaCore is not encouraging Free software development OR Ada ad= vocacy by having replaced the runtime on their public version. What they did was create a Shareware version of GNAT that is intended to ma= ke others think that GNAT can not be used for professional use if not their= Pro version. I still am happy they still put out the GPL version despite that it is Shar= eware. Since without it they would have totally killed the Ada community no= t just maimed it.=20 I am certainly hoping they continue to put out a GPL version but I am pushi= ng and _investing_ time and money with the hope they will match to go back = to GMGPL and be part of the new movement to push Ada for general purpose ap= plication development. David Botton