Re: PHPNuke license

[tb@becket.net (Thomas Bushnell, BSG)]

Steve Langasek <vorlon@netexpress.net> writes:

> You seem to be saying that it may or may not be valid, but that you
> consider it non-free.  I consider it valid, and can't bring myself to
> view this as any less free than other 2(c) notices on commandline
> programs.  So long as the GPL is named in the DFSG, it seems
> disingenuous to permit 2(c)'s invocation in some execution contexts and
> forbid it in others.  I think we're stuck with the whole wart unless we
> revise the DFSG itself to clarify the GPL grandfathering.

It seems to me that PHP-nuke is simply outright misapplying the
clause.

I've hesitated to chime in, but it seems to me that the clearest
view should be that the user of the software is the administrator, not
the web-site-visitor.  I don't think the administrator interacts with
PHP-nuke interactively at all, so that means that I think the PHP-nuke
people are crazed in their interpretation.

The best strategy for Debian, I think, would be not to distribute it,
on the grounds that the license is unclear as it stands, given the
interpretation that the PHP-nuke people are giving it.

Thomas