Re: GPL "or any greater version"
> Raul Miller <moth@debian.org> writes:
> > In my opinion the bit that says <<and "any later version",>> refers
> > to later versions of the program -- in other words, what the license
> > elsewhere calls works based on the Program.
On Fri, Aug 27, 2004 at 12:53:58PM -0400, Brian Thomas Sniffen wrote:
> That's the real misunderstanding. That very clearly refers to any
> later version of the GPL, not any later version of the program.
Here is the clause again:
If the Program specifies a version number of this License which applies
to it and "any later version", you have the option of following the
terms and conditions either of that version or of any later version
published by the Free Software Foundation.
Let's take gcc-3.3.3 prerelease 2 as the concrete noun for "the
Program" and "GPL version 2" as the concrete noun for "this License".
Substituting, yields:
If gcc-3.3.3 prerelease 2 specifies version 2 of the GPL which applies
to gcc-3.3.3 prerelease 2 and "any later version", you have the option...
Taking this substituted instance of the license text and substituting
it my way, we'd get
If gcc-3.3.3 prerelease 2 specifies version 2 of the GPL which applies
to gcc-3.3.3 prerelease 2 and "any later version of gcc", you have
the option...
If you think this doesn't make sense, I'd appreciate hearing what it is
that you think doesn't make sense. It seems to make sense to me.
Taking this substituted instance of the license text and substituting
it your way, we'd get
If gcc-3.3.3 prerelease 2 specifies version 2 of the GPL which applies
to gcc-3.3.3 prerelease 2 and "any later version of the GPL", you have
the option...
But what does that mean?
Is gcc-3.3.3 prerelease 2 specifying that version 2 of the GPL applies
not only to gcc-3.3.3 prerelease 2 but also to later versions of the GPL?
Or maybe you think that it should read:
If gcc-3.3.3 prerelease 2 specifies version 2 of the GPL which applies to
GPL version 2 and "any later version of the GPL", you have the option...
...but that's even more silly.
If the clause read:
If the Program specifies a version number and "any later version" of
this License which applies to it, you have the option of following the
terms and conditions either of that version or of any later version
published by the Free Software Foundation.
then your claim would be correct. But that's not what it says.
> > Do you see the difference I'm seeing between "GPL v2 only" and "GPL v2
> > with a prohibition on later versions"?
> >
> > [Aside: I'm guessing that you're thinking that the second use of the word
> > "version" must mean "version of the license" rather than "version of the
> > program", and that the use of quotes around the phrase which contains
> > the second use of the word "version" means that there is some kind of
> > requirement that the quoted statement appear in statements about the
> > version of the license for this option to be valid. Is that really what
> > you are thinking? If so, think I can see why you're making the claims
> > you've been making.]
>
> Ah, you thought of this already. Yes, that's exactly what I think.
> Now I see a lot of why you've been arguing what you have. The "any
> later version" is a very clear reference to the suggested application
> text, as shown in http://www.fsf.org/licenses/info/GPLv2orLater.html
That application text works just fine with my interpretation.
--
Raul
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