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From: worley@compass.uucp (Dale Worley)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl
Subject: GNU/GPL (NO DEBATE PLEASE) (was Re: unexec() with perl)
Message-ID: <1990Dec3.164612.11047@uvaarpa.Virginia.EDU>
Date: 3 Dec 90 16:46:12 GMT
Sender: mmdf@uvaarpa.Virginia.EDU (Uvaarpa Mail System)
Reply-To: worley@compass.uucp
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 39


   X-Name: Randal Schwartz

   Also bear in mind that *all* of Perl *is* covered under the GPL (and
   is therefore "GNU code") since it is distributed under the GPL (check
   "Copying" in the distribution if you don't believe me, or just type
   "perl -v").

However, the Perl license's reference to the GPL is modified by the
following paragraph (see the file 'README' in the distribution):

    My interpretation of the GNU General Public License is that no Perl
    script falls under the terms of the License unless you explicitly put
    said script under the terms of the License yourself.  Furthermore, any
    object code linked with uperl.o does not automatically fall under the
    terms of the License, provided such object code only adds definitions
    of subroutines and variables, and does not otherwise impair the
    resulting interpreter from executing any standard Perl script.  I
    consider linking in C subroutines in this manner to be the moral
    equivalent of defining subroutines in the Perl language itself.  You
    may sell such an object file as proprietary provided that you provide
    or offer to provide the Perl source, as specified by the GNU General
    Public License.  (This is merely an alternate way of specifying input
    to the program.)  You may also sell a binary produced by the dumping of
    a running Perl script that belongs to you, provided that you provide or
    offer to provide the Perl source as specified by the License.  (The
    fact that a Perl interpreter and your code are in the same binary file
    is, in this case, a form of mere aggregation.)  This is my interpretation
    of the License.  If you still have concerns or difficulties understanding
    my intent, feel free to contact me.

I'm no lawyer, but I think this statement is likely to be treated as
part of the license agreement if the matter ever comes to trial.

Dale Worley		Compass, Inc.			worley@compass.com
--
In the shopping malls, in the high school halls -- conform or be cast out!
In the basement bars, in the backs of cars -- be cool or be cast out!
 -- Rush, "Subdivisions"


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