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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Thread: 103376,a6975ef46c052458 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,domainid0,public,usenet X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit Path: g2news1.google.com!news3.google.com!news4.google.com!proxad.net!feeder1-2.proxad.net!cleanfeed2-b.proxad.net!nnrp20-1.free.fr!not-for-mail From: Samuel Tardieu Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Runtime versions (GPL vs Modified GPL) References: <0b115c04-ead8-4cec-8867-94ca9632a5b9@w1g2000prd.googlegroups.com> <4tFXj.218869$D_3.40789@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net> Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 01:01:43 +0200 Message-ID: <8763tczga0.fsf@willow.rfc1149.net> User-Agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.1 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:rsPapRBXiGe+ZH1HKVRILjVzWyY= MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Leafnode-NNTP-Posting-Host: 2a01:e35:1382:f950::3 Organization: Guest of ProXad - France NNTP-Posting-Date: 18 May 2008 01:05:01 MEST NNTP-Posting-Host: 88.191.14.223 X-Trace: 1211065501 news-4.free.fr 24581 88.191.14.223:56893 X-Complaints-To: abuse@proxad.net Xref: g2news1.google.com comp.lang.ada:180 Date: 2008-05-18T01:05:01+02:00 List-Id: >>>>> "anon" == anon writes: anon> The "special exception" clause allows the programmer to use GNAT anon> acadamic or GPL to develope the software under a compatable GPL anon> license or the LGPL which is still apart of the GPL license anon> structure. Or they can develope the software using GNAT and anon> then use GNAT PRO, Green hil, etc. Ada to compile the release anon> binary version under another license. The first quoted sentence makes little sense: while you are developing the software, you do not need to put any license on your code; you only need a license when you are *distributing* your program to others. Any version of GNAT lets you use the compiler for anything you want as long as you do not distribute the compiled binary (and circulation of the binary within a company is not considered as distributing it). Then, *if* and *when* you want do distribute a compiled version of your program, you need to choose a license that will apply to this particular distribution. When it comes to the choice of an Ada compiler, you have the following alternatives to produce the distributed executable: - GNAT as obtained from the FSF (which is the copyright owner and thus decides under what license it is released) contains the "special exception". For example, GNAT as found in Debian has been obtained through the FSF and Debian chose to retain this "special exception"; you can choose any license you want for the distribution of your program, including a proprietary one, and you do not have to distribute the source if you do not wish to do so. - GNAT Pro as distributed by AdaCore also retains this "special exception", as the Debian version does. This allows you to choose any license you want for your program. - GNAT GPL and GNAT Academic as distributed by AdaCore do *not* contain the "special exception". This is a choice made by AdaCore, as anyone is free to drop this exception at any time when redistributing GNAT (and the recipient cannot re-add it unless he is the copyright owner). They chose to make these version of GNAT and its associated runtime files a GPL only program. In this case, and only in this case, you may only distribute your program under a GPL compatible license as it has been linked with the GPL-only version of the Ada runtime, which also means that you have to make the sources available under this license. - If you use GNAT obtained from another source than the ones cited above, you need to check whether all the distributors up the chain (the chain starts at the FSF and ends at you) chose to retain the "special exception" or if anyone in the middle chose to drop it. - You may use a compiler other than GNAT, in which case you have to check the license of this compiler to determine what it allows and what it forbids. For example, a compiler license may ask that you pay royalties on the programs you sell, while another lets you do whatever you want. Sam -- Samuel Tardieu -- sam@rfc1149.net -- http://www.rfc1149.net/