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: 103376,9a5f3bd162009c01 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: GNAT GPL 2005: Too clever by half? References: <70e0e$4331acfc$4995583$14979@ALLTEL.NET> From: Brian May Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 16:24:20 +1000 Message-ID: User-Agent: Gnus/5.1007 (Gnus v5.10.7) Emacs/21.4 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:/7dWb8qIYrAlRy4MstGpahwrv7E= MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii NNTP-Posting-Host: snoopy.microcomaustralia.com.au X-Trace: news.melbourne.pipenetworks.com 1127370262 202.173.153.89 (22 Sep 2005 16:24:22 +1000) X-Complaints-To: abuse@pipenetworks.com X-Abuse-Info: Please forward all headers to enable your complaint to be properly processed. Path: g2news1.google.com!news3.google.com!news.glorb.com!logbridge.uoregon.edu!newsfeeds.ihug.co.nz!ihug.co.nz!news.xtra.co.nz!news-south.connect.com.au!duster.adelaide.on.net!news.melbourne.pipenetworks.com!not-for-mail Xref: g2news1.google.com comp.lang.ada:5018 Date: 2005-09-22T16:24:20+10:00 List-Id: >>>>> "Marc" == Marc A Criley writes: Marc> If you're hard over to free software, GPL GNAT 2005 is just Marc> fine and dandy, since it'll force people to make their Marc> software free (libre), which is the goal of the FSF. The problem, as Samuel Tardieu has already mentioned, is that not all "free software" uses the GPL. There are heaps of other licenses out there, from Apache license, openssl license, BSD license, libstdc++ license, LGPL, just to mention the first ones that come to the top of my head. It is simply not possible to convert all of these projects to use the GPL (or GPL compatible[1]) licenses, no matter how much Richard Stallman would like this. Note: [1] For example, the python license is GPL compatible; Does this mean a GPL application compiled with GNAT GPL 2005 could also depend on python? Or another (dodgy) example: suppose I wanted to enhance python by adding new Ada code to it. Would I be allowed to compile the Ada parts with GNAT GPL 2005? Trying to think these examples through is making me dizzy... -- Brian May