From: Nick Roberts <nick.roberts@acm.org>
Subject: GPLv3 and the GMGPL
Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2006 21:27:06 GMT
Date: 2006-02-07T21:27:06+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <Kg8Gf.272191$vl2.72054@fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk> (raw)
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) - http://www.fsf.org - is currently
canvassing opinion before finalising a new version of the General Public
License (GPLv3). A draft is available for comment:
http://gplv3.fsf.org
Ada software published under the current version of the GPL (GPLv2)
tends to carry a special exception, which (since I suppose it originated
with GNAT) is generally called the GNAT-Modified GPL (or GMGPL):
"As a special exception, if other files instantiate generics from this
Unit, or you link this unit with other files to produce an
executable, this unit does not by itself cause the resulting executable
to be covered by the GNU General Public License. This exception does
not however invalidate any other reasons why the executable file might
be covered by the GNU Public License."
The new GPL (in its current draft) defines what it calls the "Complete
Corresponding Source Code" in a way suggests (to me) that the GNAT
modification might no longer be required, in many cases. This is because
the new definition provides an exception:
"As a special exception, the Complete Corresponding Source Code need not
include a particular subunit if (a) the identical subunit is normally
included as an adjunct in the distribution of either a major essential
component (kernel, window system, and so on) of the operating system on
which the executable runs or a compiler used to produce the executable
or an object code interpreter used to run it, and (b) the subunit (aside
from possible incidental extensions) serves only to enable use of the
work with that system component or compiler or interpreter, or to
implement a widely used or standard interface, the implemention of which
requires no patent license not already generally available for software
under this License."
I suspect that most of the actual difficulties the GNAT modification was
added to resolve are now solved by the new wording of the GPLv3.
Actually, the draft GPLv3 is moderately radical*. It introduces limited
retaliation against 'patent aggression' and defiance of Digital Rights
Management (DRM) technology. Apparently Linus Torvalds (inventor of the
Linux kernel and figurehead of its continuing development) finds this a
little too radical:
http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0602.0/0498.html
Quite frankly, I rather agree with the FSF about it. (I am not generally
a huge fan of the FSF.)
I am curious. Does anyone have any plans to use the GPLv3 for an Ada
project? If so, why? Do you think it would obviate the need for the GNAT
modification for your project?
--
Nick Roberts
*oxymoron?
next reply other threads:[~2006-02-07 21:27 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 3+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2006-02-07 21:27 Nick Roberts [this message]
2006-02-08 4:16 ` GPLv3 and the GMGPL Jeffrey Creem
2006-02-23 0:51 ` Waldek Hebisch
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