Re: ngrep 1.38 license
If he really did change over to the perl regex library, yes it is DFSG
compatible IMHO. The license is obviously GPL incompatible--it contains
the BSD-ish advertizing clause that made the BSDL and GPL
incompatible. If he's still using the GPL regex though, it's not only
non-free but non distributable.
On Sun, 26 Nov 2000, Nathan Sandver wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm the maintainer of ngrep, which has recently changed licenses. When I first
> approached Jordan Ritter (the author) about packaging ngrep, I noticed that
> the package didn't include a license:
>
> ==========
>
> Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 11:26:30 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Jordan Ritter <jpr5@darkridge.com>
> To: Nathan Sandver <nsandver@debian.org>
> Subject: Re: ngrep
>
> On Wed, 27 Oct 1999, Nathan Sandver wrote:
>
> # I'm interested in packaging ngrep for use with Debian. I noticed that
> # the regex.c and install-sh both have their own licenses, but I didn't
> # see a license on the rest of the code (please forgive me if I
> # overlooked it somewhere :). Have you licensed your own work? A license
> # permitting redistribution and modification is required for Debian to
> # include ngrep. If it's alright for me to package ngrep, can you let me
> # know when you decide on a license?
>
> Nathan,
>
> I've been approached by someone from Debian before (though I don't
> recall whom), and that person asked me the same question. My response was
> "opensource", but obviously that doesn't fully answer the question. My
> personal preference at this point is to BSD license the software, but the
> regex library I used is GPL'd, so AFAIK that requires (or strongly
> encourages) me to make the entire thing GPL.
>
> I think one or two revs down the line I am going to use the Perl regex
> library instead, which is under the must less restrictive Artistic
> License. But, to answer your question, the license is going to be GPL for
> the time being. The next revision (1.36) will reflect this.
>
>
> Thanks for your time,
>
> --jordan
>
> ==========
>
> As you can see, he licensed the software under the GPL. Now, however, with the
> release of ngrep 1.38, he has changed the license again. This time, he's
> written the license himself. Here's the full text of it:
>
> ==========
>
> Copyright (c) 2000 Jordan Ritter. All rights reserved.
>
> Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose on
> any computer system, and to alter it and redistribute it, subject
> to the following restrictions:
>
> 1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented, either by
> explicit claim or by omission. Since few users ever read sources,
> credits must also appear in the documentation.
>
> 2. Altered versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be
> misrepresented as being the original software. Since few users
> ever read sources, credits must also appear in the documentation.
>
> 3. All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this
> software must display the following acknowledgement: This product
> includes software developed by Jordan Ritter.
>
> 4. The name of the Author may not be used to endorse or promote
> products derived from this software without specific prior written
> permission.
>
> 5. This notice, and any references to this notice in the source,
> documentation, or binary, may not be removed or altered.
>
>
> THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND
> ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
> IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
> PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR OR CONTRIBUTORS
> BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
> CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
> SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR
> BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY,
> WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE
> OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN
> IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
>
> ==========
>
> My question is, does this new license still qualify as DFSG free? Please keep
> me CC'ed in your replies, as I'm not subscribed to this list.
>
> Thanks for your time,
>
>
--
EMACS == Eight Megabytes And Constantly Swapping
Who is John Galt? galt@inconnu.isu.edu, that's who!
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