Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!ginosko!uunet!munnari.oz.au!cs.mu.oz.au!ok From: ok@cs.mu.oz.au (Richard O'Keefe) Newsgroups: comp.sources.d Subject: Re: v20i030: Command-line editor with predictions, Part02/04 Summary: RK violates the terms of the FSF licence Message-ID: <2466@munnari.oz.au> Date: 19 Oct 89 08:16:01 GMT References: <2013@prune.bbn.com> Sender: news@cs.mu.oz.au Lines: 35 In article <2013@prune.bbn.com>, rsalz@uunet.uu.net (Rich Salz) writes: > Submitted-by: Mark James > Posting-number: Volume 20, Issue 30 > Archive-name: reactivekbd/part02 This program includes a copy of David MacKenzie's "Getopt for GNU". That is covered by the infamous copyleft, which states in part (quoted from the posting) > X b) cause the whole of any work that you distribute or publish, > X that in whole or in part contains or is a derivative of this > X program or any part thereof, to be licensed at no charge to all > X third parties on terms identical to those contained in this > X License Agreement (except that you may choose to grant more > X extensive warranty protection to third parties, at your option). > X 5. If you wish to incorporate parts of this program into other free > Xprograms whose distribution conditions are different, write to the Free > XSoftware Foundation at 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139. We have not yet > Xworked out a simple rule that can be stated here, but we will often permit > Xthis. We will be guided by the two goals of preserving the free status of > Xall derivatives of our free software and of promoting the sharing and reuse of > Xsoftware. The whole RK program does not appear to be covered by a licence "on terms identical to" the copyleft. Perhaps the author has an exemption from the FSF. Another possibility is that I may have completely misunderstood the effect of the copyleft. It would be better to use Henry Spencer's "getopt", as that is not covered by a restrictive licence. Might it not be a good idea to have a gnu.sources group, and ensure that stuff with copylefts went to that group and stuff that people could use went to comp.sources.* groups?