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,e5509d13ad9d5a78,start X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit Path: g2news1.google.com!news1.google.com!news3.google.com!news2.volia.net!news-out.ntli.net!newsrout1-gui.ntli.net!ntli.net!news.highwinds-media.com!pe1.news.blueyonder.co.uk!blueyonder!fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk.POSTED!53ab2750!not-for-mail From: Nick Roberts User-Agent: Thunderbird 1.5 (Windows/20051201) MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: GPLv3 and the GMGPL Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-ID: Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2006 21:27:06 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 82.43.35.196 X-Trace: fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk 1139347626 82.43.35.196 (Tue, 07 Feb 2006 21:27:06 GMT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2006 21:27:06 GMT Xref: g2news1.google.com comp.lang.ada:2809 Date: 2006-02-07T21:27:06+00:00 List-Id: 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?