Re: GPL "or any greater version"
Raul Miller <moth@debian.org> writes:
>> 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:
How about: if gcc-3.3.3pre2 specifies (version 2 of this Licence
which applies to gcc-3.3.3pre2) and specifies ("any later version")...
which is the natural English reading, when you haven't done the expansions.
>> > 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.
It's clear even in the URL that the "or later" refers to the version
of the GPL, not the software licensed under it. The explanatory text
makes it clear that it "allows distribution under version 2 of the GNU
GPL, or any version that the Free Software Foundation later releases."
-- that is, that "version" means version of the GNU GPL as published
by the FSF, not version of some software.
The license text itself very clearly says the same thing. There is no
occurrence of "version" on that page which could refer to anything
other than a version of the GPL.
--
Brian Sniffen bts@alum.mit.edu
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