[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

License with the following characteristics?



I'm thinking of licensing a program under the GPL, but I dislike the 
FSF's overly restrictive concept that 'dynamic linking is modification'.

I want my program (and any derivative works) to be allowed to use 
*accurately documented and published* interfaces to proprietary 
(or any other) libraries or programs.  Dynamic linking should be allowed
in this situation, as should RPC, pipes, etc. etc.  (The interface 
should allow for free implementations of it, although they don't need 
to actually exist at the time.  Its documentation doesn't need to be 
written by anyone in particular; it could have been reverse-engineered,
even.)

I *don't* want to allow a derivative of my program to be linked with a 
proprietary program through secret, undocumented, or unpublished 
interfaces.

Is there a good licence to put on my program which will clearly allow 
exactly this?  Can it be done with GPL-plus-exceptions?

This is the line I would draw regarding RPC vs. linking, etc.  It also 
renders the OS exception unnecessary.  I suspect other people may agree 
with me on this line, so it might be a generally useful piece of 
information.

I hope the well-informed people on the debian-legal list might be able 
to help me with this point...

--Nathanael
neroden@twcny.rr.com



Reply to: