Re: can one build commercial applications with latest gnat and other licenses related questions...

[M E Leypold <development-2006-8ecbb5cc8a-REMOVETHIS@m-e-leypold.de>]

Georg Bauhaus <bauhaus@futureapps.de> writes:

> klobert wrote:
> > I am looking for some clear information related with ada compiler
> > licensing.
> > Is it possible to build commercial applications without releasing the
> > source code using latest "libre" version of gnat ?
> 
> Yes.
> If by commercial you mean selling just the binaries to third parties, no.
> 

> > What's the difference in functionality between these:
> > (gnat, gccada3.44, gccada4.1.0 ? )
> 
> Bug fixes, ASIS (yes, no, some), varying levels of support for the new
> Ada 2005 features, and more.

I'd like to add, that AFAIS nothing forbids you to do development with
gnat-2006 (using the full ASIS support for debugging and perhaps
generating source code and then compile the project with gccada and
ship these binaries closed source style to the customer.


> > Is thee any ada compiler under BSD license ?
> 
> Not aware of one.

And its actually not necessary: The Toolchain might be under GPL as it
likes (it's OK in my book that nobody can create a closed source tool
from the compiler), but what is annoying is if the GPL infects any
tool compiled _with_ the compiler. This is less freedom not more.

Regards -- Markus