Re: [LAU] licensing fun, was Re: Yamaha Disklavier Pro grand piano

On Thursday 18 September 2008 07:31:58 Dave Phillips wrote:
> Greetings,
>
> Since the discussion re: GIG vs. SF2 has veered into the political
> nether realms I add this little tinder for the fire.
>
> The licenses for Eisenkraut and FScape (both under the GPL) are
> restricted in similar fashion to LinuxSampler :
>
> "please note that you are /not allowed/ to use this software if you are
> a member of a military or pharmaceutical or governmental institution
> (excluding public service in general and civil science/education). if
> you have sympathies for bad governments (applies to most countries), you
> should also opt to /not use/ this software. thank you."
>
> Perhaps this statement is tongue-in-cheek, but it isn't presented as a
> joke. While such restrictions may or not be contrary to the spirit of
> the GPL they are certainly contrary to the letter of the first of the
> FSF's Four Freedoms :
>
> "The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0)."
>
> There are no exceptions to that statement. Richard Stallman has been
> very clear on that particular point. To make any exception is to broach
> that freedom, and at that point the software cannot be called completely
> free. So now we can add those apps to the flame pile when the LS
> licensing issue arises. As it inevitably does...
>
> I never received an answer from the FSF re: the LS license exception. I
> didn't write to RMS. The FSF is supposed to respond to such enquiries,
> but I never got so much as an automated reply.
>
> For the record: I like and use all those programs, and my conscience is
> relatively untroubled. I do wish they would remove the exceptions, but
> so far they haven't interfered with the program functions.

Whatever the case may be, these are not GPL licensed programs and thus code
from them may not be mingled legally with other GPL programs. Right?

And from: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.txt

" GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
                       Version 2, June 1991

 Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
 Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
 of this license document, but changing it is not allowed."

You are not allowed to change the GPL license. hence the text outside of the
license pointing to the license and then granting the license with exceptions
rather than using a properly modified license.

Honestly people, do what you want as far as licensing your own programs, but
cut out the confusion. If you are not going to license your program with the
GPL, don't make mention of it and try to gain the good will and acceptance
that comes along with licensing your code under the GPL.

Write up your own license and promote it yourself. (My little addition to the
mix.)
>
> Best,
>
> dp

all the best,

drew

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Received on Thu Sep 18 20:15:02 2008