Re: AdaCore ... the Next SCO?

[Preben Randhol <randhol+cla2@pvv.org>]

Georg Bauhaus <bauhaus@futureapps.de> wrote on 27/06/2006 (20:50) :
> On Tue, 2006-06-27 at 17:00 +0200, M E Leypold wrote:
> 
> >   # Alex Bykat who helped us compile GtkAda 0.2 on Solaris 2.5.
> >   # ...
> >   # Preben Randhol who has contributed several patches, in particular for porting gate to glade-2.
> 
> > Useful, this, isn't it?
> 
> Could make a change if members of the above list decided to
> make a GMGPL Edition from their earlier work.
> But just in case, this isn't useful as a licensing argument.
> A quote from the GNU site illustrates:
> 
> "If you modify this code, you may extend this exception to your version
> of the code, but you are not obligated to do so. If you do not wish to
> do so, delete this exception statement from your version."
> 
> So the release of a modified GtkAda may drop the
> exception without consulting the originators.
> I can't say whether or not the members of the above list
> like the new facts.

I don't like it. I contributed to a GMGPL project not a pure GPL
project.

Anyway, what I will do for the future is to use any license other than
GPL. Now, I guess I need to spend a bit time to find a license
compatible with GPL but without the viral part. I guess the BSD license is
one candidate. I guess I also have to read the Linux Format article
about GPL 3. Note that many programs are distributed with GPL saying the
program is licensed under (L)GPL 2.0 or later version of your choice. I
don't know what it entails, but if one keep it open like that one risk
running into more trouble when RMS makes a new version...

Just for the record I'm not against GPL per se, just that I don't like
posibility that one at some point end up in a quagmire where one cannot
make anything without a GPL license. That is not Freedom.

Also the article had an interview with the Apache developer and his
views on licensing since Apache is not under GPL.

[1] Link to the issue, unfortunately not available on the net:
http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=5#80


One big question though. What is /where can on find the license of the
gcc - GNU Compiler Collection?

Does the gcc have an exception so one can make non-GPL programs with it?

Preben