FPC-2.2.0 should be removed from Lenny and replaced by FPC-2.2.2
Hi,
Debian packages for FPC-2.2.0 have a copyright issue which makes it
complicated to use this version for a non GPL project. Indeed, 23
routines in the Run-Time library were identified by FPC developers as
being possible copyright infringements: the sources were contributed by
non core developers and were possibly copied from Borland copyrighted
code.
To remove any suspicion, they have been re-implemented using a
clean-room approach, and this re-implementation was included in release
2.2.2.
Please note that the infringed code was released under Kylix LGPL, so
there is not necessarily a problem for Debian users using FPC to write
GPL programs. The problem is mainly for people needing FPC's COPYING.FPC
exception allowing linking statically to FPC RTL without being forced to
share their code source, ie using FPC to write non GPL programs.
The original of the suspicious code was published by Borland as GPL
code, it is available on Source Forge:
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=22417
It is dual-licensed with a Borland and GPL license:
(sample from the Classes.pas file included in the archive)
{ *************************************************************************** }
{}
{ Kylix and Delphi Cross-Platform Visual Component Library}
{}
{ Copyright (c) 1995, 2001 Borland Software Corporation}
{}
{ This file may be distributed and/or modified under the terms of the GNU}
{ General Public License (GPL) version 2 as published by the Free Software }
{ Software Foundation and appearing at http://www.borland.com/kylix/gpl.html. }
{}
{ Licensees holding a valid Borland No-Nonsense License for this Software may }
{ use this file in accordance with such license, which appears in the file }
{ license.txt that came with this Software. }
{ }
{ *************************************************************************** }
So basically, the Debian packages provided in Lenny include the wrong
license for FPC-2.2.0 RTL and units.
By upgrading to FPC-2.2.2 this issue is solved.
Best regards,
Mazen,
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