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From: Samuel Tardieu <sam@rfc1149.net>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: The future of Ada is at risk
References: <20071229040639.f753f982.coolzone@it.dk>
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Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2007 01:33:54 +0100
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Date: 2007-12-31T01:35:01+01:00
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>>>>> "Phaedrus" == Phaedrus  <phaedrusalt@hotmail.com> writes:

Phaedrus> Isn't it interesting that they claim to only charge for
Phaedrus> "support", but then force anyone who uses the free compiler
Phaedrus> to release their developed software for free?  *sigh*

You're confusing GNAT with AdaCore here. And AdaCore doesn't own GNAT.

GNAT is part of GCC and available from the Free Software
Foundation. With it, you can develop proprietary programs if you wish
to do so as its runtime uses the "GMGPL" (GNAT modified GPL)
license. The copyright holder of GNAT is the FSF.

AdaCore takes the FSF version of GNAT, enhances it and:

 1- releases a GMGPL version to its customers;
 2- releases a GPL-only public version;
 3- contributes back the changes to the FSF under the original license.

Any company or individual could do the same thing. Or do only 1 and
make no public version. Or do only 1 and 2, preventing the changes
from being integrated in the FSF GMGPL version. Only users choosing to
use the AdaCore GPL-only public version of GNAT are affected by the
runtime license and have to develop free software only.

Note that GNAT as found in GNU/Linux distribution such as Debian
usually comes from the FSF and are perfectly usable to develop
proprietary software.

  Sam
-- 
Samuel Tardieu -- sam@rfc1149.net -- http://www.rfc1149.net/