Re: Installing sundials-2..4.0.tar.gz in octave for windows

[Valmor de Almeida]

On 02/07/2011 04:28 PM, c. wrote:
> 
> On 7 Feb 2011, at 21:34, Valmor de Almeida wrote:
> 
>> Hi John,
>>
>> A related question. Say I have written an octave code that among other
>> octave functions, it uses sundials for DAE's (the code is a collection
>> of many .m files). I would like to provide a dynamic linked function to
>> a matlab user to call my code (that is I would like to distribute a
>> closed source library). Is this possible to be done through a mex file
>> approach? In this case does it mean I would have to write a c++ or c
>> code wherein all octave functions I use in my octave code will have to
>> be called in the c++ code via a mexCallMATLAB?
>>
>> Are there other options?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> --
>> Valmor
> 
> I don't understand exactly what you have in mind technically but, although I 
> am not a lawyer, 
> I believe that legally what you want is not feasible.
> If you build an executable or library that links to Octave it will be subject 
> to the GNU GPL v3 license 
> according to which you cannot distribute your program without source.
> It is possible that programs produced using the MEX interface might be 
> distributed with a license different than GPL v3,
> but not the binaries produced by linking these programs to Octave. So even if 
> you use MEX, you will have to distribute your 
> code in source form so that Matlab users can compile it.
> c.

Thank you for legal insight. I am still trying to figure out whether
this is feasible on the technical side. In this single instance, a
source code is not useful since the user does not program in matlab and
my code is not 100% compatible with matlab. The user "wants" a loadable
function to use within an exiting matlab application which allows the
user to use a mex file and extend the application. I can't throw a bunch
of .m octave files over the fence and expect the user to figure out how
to use them. This is the technical situation.

Inputs appreciated.

--
Valmor