Re: SmallEiffel license
In message <[🔎] m0x3ee8-001NJaC@night>, writes:
>I'm afraid that SmallEiffel violates its own license.
>
>Background: SmallEiffel is an Eiffel compiler written in Eiffel.
>It can compile Eiffel code to C or to Java bytecode. It is
>distributed under the GPL, but all that is distributed is the
>generated C code.
>
>>From the SmallEiffel FAQ:
>
> A03: Is it possible to have the complete Eiffel source of SmallEiffel?
> No. The SmallEiffel distribution already includes, in the library, a
> lot of the Eiffel source files used to write the SmallEiffel compiler
> itself. For example, the class DICTIONARY is the one used by the
> SmallEiffel compiler to store features and all kinds of symbolic
> information. Classes FILE_TOOLS, STD_FILE_READ and STD_FILE_WRITE are
> also used by the compiler to read Eiffel source code and to write and
> compare C files. The full C source code of the compiler is free.
> SmallEiffel may one day become a commercial product (if someone wants
> to buy it :-). Even if SmallEiffel becomes a commercial product, the C
> source file will remain under the GNU licence and its new owner will
> have to give the C code of further releases.
>
>However, the GPL defines "source code" as "the preferred form of the
>work for making modifications to it".
On the other hand:
"1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's
source code as you receive it..."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
might be said to cover this case?
> This is certainly the Eiffel
>code, and not the C code. To illustrate, here is a small function
>from the generated C code:
>
>T36 X631storage(void *C){
>int id=((T0*)C)->id;
>if (id <= 247) {
>return ((T36)((((T247*)((T247*)C)))->_storage/*W4*/));
>} else {
>return ((T36)((((T263*)((T263*)C)))->_storage/*W4*/));
>}}
>
>(Yes, it's all like this.)
>
>Of course, the author is free to release the program under any terms
>he or she pleases. But I'm afraid that it is not possible to for any
>redistributor to meet the terms of the GPL, since the source code as
>defined by the GPL is not available. Thus, we cannot legally put
>it on the Debian ftp site at all.
But see above.
The SmallEiffel FAQ also refers to three mirror sites, which by the same
logic should not be permitted to mirror SmallEiffel. I suppose all this
shows that non-lawyers should stay away from the whole area!
I'll forward Richard Braakman's message to Dominique Colnet, and see what
he says.
--
Oliver Elphick Oliver.Elphick@lfix.co.uk
Isle of Wight http://lfix.co.uk/oliver
Make it idiot-proof, and someone will breed a better idiot.
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