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Re: SUN RPC code is DFSG-free



On Sat, Aug 23, 2003 at 12:02:59PM -0500, Steve Langasek wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 23, 2003 at 11:49:47AM +0100, Andrew Suffield wrote:
> > On Sat, Aug 23, 2003 at 06:50:19PM +1000, Anthony Towns wrote:
> > > > Isn't this whole thing incompatible with the (L)GPL anyway? The code
> > > > in question has been highly modified and integrated into the glibc
> > > > source tree, presumably with the modifications under the LGPL,
> 
> > > It's not appropriate to presume so as to make things illegal. If there's
> > > a valid interpretation that makes things legal, then that should be
> > > the default. Only if there are no such valid interpretations, or if the
> > > copyright holder states their interpretation, is it appropriate to worry
> > > about this.
> 
> > > > Sun has repeatedly clarified elsewhere that the intent of this is
> > > > essentially "MIT/X11, except you may not distribute this product
> > > > alone."
> 
> > > Not being able to distribute the original Sun RPC code alone is not a
> > > problem, so long as we're able to distribute any variants of it that
> > > we may actually want. If you're really concerned about other possible
> > > caveats, please feel free to contact Sun to work on getting a clarified
> > > license. However as it stands, the license passes the DFSG at least as
> > > well as, eg, the Artistic license does.
> 
> > The copyright holder has, apparently, stated their intentions. And
> > their intentions are: "MIT/X11, except you may not distribute this
> > product alone".
> 
> > Are you seriously suggesting that this is *not* an additional
> > restriction over those made by the (L)GPL? Otherwise, I don't see how
> > you can claim it is compatible.
> 
> "These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole.  If
> identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Library,
> and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in
> themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those
> sections when you distribute them as separate works.  But when you
> distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based
> on the Library, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of
> this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the
> entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote
> it."

I said, earlier, that I don't think this applies - the relevant code
cannot "be reasonably considered independent". Have a look at the code
- it's heavily modified for glibc.

However, you're looking at the wrong license. Look at the license of
all the GPLed applications which link to glibc, instead. Are *they*
compatible with the sunrpc license?

-- 
  .''`.  ** Debian GNU/Linux ** | Andrew Suffield
 : :' :  http://www.debian.org/ |
 `. `'                          |
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