Re: ITP: libdbd-pnet-perl, pnet-agent

[Buddha Buck <bmbuck@zaphod.dhis.org>]

> Hi,
> 
> i'd like to package the mentioned packages but i have a 'small' doubt
> about it's license.
> 
> "The DBD::pNET module is Copyright (c) 1997 Jochen Wiedmann. Parts of the 
> sources are based on the DBD::Oracle module. The DBD::Oracle module is 
> Copyright (c) 1995,1996,1997 Tim Bunce. England. 
> 
> The DBD::pNET module is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify 
> it under the same terms as Perl itself, with the exception that it cannot be 
> placed on a CD-ROM or similar media for commercial distribution without the 
> prior approval of the author."
> 
> So what should i do? Contact the author and ask permission to debianize it?
> 'cause the term commercial distribution is somewhat vague in my opinion...

It looks non-free to me.  It can't go into main, but you could package 
it up as non-free.

The "No CD-ROM" clause definately isn't within the Free Software 
guidelines.

Since Debian doesn't allow Debian-specific exceptions to the general 
licensing terms, asking for permission to Debianize it won't allow you 
to do anything you can't do already.

You could talk with the author, and see if he may be willing to drop 
that clause entirely, thus making it DFSG-free.

> 
> Yours
> 
> Michel
> 
-- 
     Buddha Buck                      bmbuck@zaphid.dhis.edu
"Just as the strength of the Internet is chaos, so the strength of our
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