Re: GUI/Gorm code freeze

[Hubert Chan]

On Sat, 26 Aug 2006 19:01:39 +0200, Chris Vetter <address@hidden> said:

[...]

> However that brings me to another question that may look like
> flame-bait...

> Let's say there's a framework that implements one or more 'wanted'
> classes but are licensed under, say, BSDL.  Would it be permissible to
> add those classes to GNUstep (since it's LGPL) or would those classes
> have to be 'handed over' to FSF, changing the license in the process?
> And what if the author doesn't want to change the original license but
> adds a section that additionally puts the code under LGPL (that is, as
> a dual license) provided / as long as the code is used in GNUstep?

I think that the LGPL would prevent itself from being applied "as long
as the code is used in GNUstep".  (i.e. I believe that the LGPL
essentially requires that you're able to rip it apart and distribute
bits and pieces of it on their own, licensed under the LGPL.)

But I don't think that in this case, licensing should be a problem,
since the (3-clause) BSD license is, AIUI, compatible with the LGPL.
The situation would be different for code licensed under a different
license.

The copyright assignment question, though, is a different matter, which
I am not in any position to answer.

There are ways around this, though, as long as the licensing is
compatible, by wrapping the 'wanted' classes in an external library, and
then having GNUstep call that library.  Thus the library is not part of
GNUstep (and hence wouldn't require copyright assignment), but GNUstep
still gets to use the classes.  Although this method is probably less
desirable to actually having the classes in GNUstep.

-- 
Hubert Chan - email & Jabber: address@hidden - http://www.uhoreg.ca/
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