Re: Bug#40937: omniorb: Freeness?
"J.H.M. Dassen" <jdassen@wi.leidenuniv.nl> writes:
> > However, we recently realized that the following licensing terms
> > were present in the IDL compiler, which contains some SUN Microsystems
> > code:
> Is the IDL compiler a separate part of the OmniORB and TAO packages, or do
> they contain GPL-ed changes for it? (If it's the latter, I think it's the
> same regrettable situation as KDE, i.e. not redistributable in binary form)
As long as the authors of the GPL-ed changes are in the project
themselves and feel good about incorporating the non-free Sun code,
that can be handled with an exemption clause. Which of course won't
make the program free but will at least allow it to be distributed
in non-free.
The real problem arise if the same program also contains GPL-ed code
whose copyright holders will not agree to an exemption clause [such as
if the copyright has been handed over to the FSF].
40937@bugs.debian.org trimmed from CC: list.
--
Henning Makholm
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