Re: [Devel] Some comments on license.txt.

[Werner LEMBERG]

[Sorry for the late reply.]

> license.txt in FreeType give an interesting disjunctive license that
> I've never seen before.  I have no criticism of the license itself,
> but I have some comments and suggestions on the wording of the text.
> 
>      - The FreeType License, found in the file "FTL.TXT", which is
>        an BSD-style open-source license *with* an advertising clause
> 
> I see you're aware of the difference between the two BSD licenses.
> The term "BSD-style" tends to lead people to forget about the
> difference, so I suggest that people avoid that term.  How about
> saying "is like the original BSD license, with the advertising
> clause"?

Fixed.  See below.  Thanks for the suggestion.

> Is there a specific point that you meant to make by describing this
> as an open-source license?  The BSD licenses and the GNU GPL are all
> open source licenses, but I've noticed that some people
> misunderstand the definition of "open source" and think it does not
> include the GPL.  Is that what you had in mind?

I've reworded it.

>      - The GNU General Public License, found in "GPL.TXT", which is
>        the traditionnal and "viral" GPL license, that forces you to
>        redistribute the _complete_ sources of all your products that
>        simply use FreeType 2.
> 
> Comparing something to a virus is rather harsh, since viruses make
> people sick and make computers malfunction.  Comparing the GPL
> to a virus is misleading since the GPL doesn't spread by proximity.

:-) Help, help, I'm GPLed!

Below the new version, now in the CVS.


    Werner


======================================================================


The  FreeType 2  font  engine is  copyrighted  work and  cannot be  used
legally  without a  software license.   In  order to  make this  project
usable  to a vast  majority of  developers, we  distribute it  under two
mutually exclusive open-source licenses.

This means  that *you* must choose  *one* of the  two licenses described
below, then obey  all its terms and conditions when  using FreeType 2 in
any of your projects or products.

  - The FreeType License, found in  the file `FTL.TXT', which is similar
    to the original BSD license *with* an advertising clause that forces
    you  to  explicitly cite  the  FreeType  project  in your  product's
    documentation.  All  details are in the license  file.  This license
    is  suited  to products  which  don't  use  the GNU  General  Public
    License.

  - The  GNU General Public  License, found  in `GPL.TXT',  for programs
    which already use  the GPL.  Note that the  FTL is incompatible with
    the GPL due to its advertisement clause.

The contributed PCF driver comes with a license similar to that of the X
Window System.   It is  compatible to the  above two licenses  (see file
src/pcf/readme).


--- end of licence.txt ---