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Re: license for eSvn



Scripsit Pierre Chifflier
> On Mon, Sep 06, 2004 at 07:46:23PM +0100, Henning Makholm wrote:

> > > This license is GPL for all platform with GPL-ed version of QT include
>                            ^^^^^
> > > Linux, so the license for the Debian will be GPL as well.
> > > If I made it not clear, please let me know what I need to change in the
> > > license and I'll do it.

> > In order to be free by virtue by GPL, the GPL-ness must *not* be
> > restricted by platform.

> I know the license must not be specific to debian, and this is *not*
> what he said.

My quote above is verbatim.

> In fact the author applied the same kind of license than Qt does:
> linux (and ALL other distros than debian also) -> GPL

No. Qt has different codebases for interfacing with different
underlying systems. These different codebases may be released under
different licenses. That does not prevent me from taking the GPLed
version and hack it so that it runs under a different platform than it
used to do.

The quote above says that the GPL licensing is restricted to use on
certain platforms. That is not free.


What the author is probably *trying* to say is that he does not offer
any special exception to link with non-GPL inferface toolkits. He
should say so explicitly instead of trying to restrict his GPL grant
by platform.


> As long as the license is not debian specific and is GPL,

The license given above is not GPL. It is "GPL but only on certain
platforms", which is an entirely different beast. Specifically, it
is a non-free beast.

> and that this kind of license is already used by other debian
> packages

Which packages? If that is true, bugs should be filed and packages
moved to non-free, preferrably before sarge releases if at all
possible.

-- 
Henning Makholm                     "The practical reason for continuing our
                                  system is the same as the practical reason
                          for continuing anything: It works satisfactorily."



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