Re: License of that GNAT patch ?

[Ludovic Brenta <ludovic@ludovic-brenta.org>]

Yannick Duchêne wrote on comp.lang.ada:
> Hi all,
>
> For some test, I wanted to use a Static_Predicate for a subtype (Ada  
> 2012), but GNAT complained “file.adb:n:n: aspect identifier expected”. So  
> I searched the web for GNAT and Static_Predicate, and found this:
>
> http://old.nabble.com/-Ada--Implement-new-aspects-Dynamic_Predicate-a...

Surely you meant to say:
http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc-patches/2011-08/msg00026.html

Why use an imperfect copy when the original is available?

> Seems this patch must be applied in order to have GNAT to support  
> Static_Predicate and Dynamic_Predicate. However, the patch contains no  
> license information, and I would like to know how I should handle such a  
> case and any future similar cases. The GNAT compiler I use is one with the  
> GCC Runtime Exception, which I wish to preserve. Is a patch like this to  
> be considered part of runtime or not ? It is part of the compiler from  
> some point of view, but also supposed to drive generation of runtime code,  
> so I feel dubious.

- This patch belongs to the FSF.
- All the files affected by this patch belong to the FSF.
- The patch does not change the license of the files.

Therefore, the license that applies is the license of each file
affected by the patch.

sinfo.ad[bs]: GPLv3 with Runtime Library Exception.
aspects.ad[bs]: GPLv3 with Runtime Library Exception.
sem_ch13.adb: GPLv3.
snames.ads-tmpl: GPLv3 with Runtime Library Exception.

> I don't know Arnaud Charlet. Member of AdaCore staff ?

Yes.  One of his roles at AdaCore is to submit the patches written by
other members of the company (in this case Robert Dewar himself) to
the FSF, with copyright assignment.

> After that, may also have to seek for any other relevant patches, as it  
> seems there are some.

Your best bet is to grab a copy of the Git repository containing the
sources of GCC along with their entire history.  git will allow you to
browse the changelog, bisect, annotate etc. to find the patches of
interest.  You can even create your own private branch if you like.

--
Ludovic Brenta.
The Chief Management Office Officer innovates challenges.