License issues [Was: Re: GnuTLS Update]

[Joerg Barfurth]

[This discussion doesn't really belong into the GnuTLS case any more, so 
probably not onto the opensolaris-arc list. Further discussion should 
happen elsewhere.]

Joerg Schilling schrieb:
> Jörg Barfurth <Joerg.Barfurth at Sun.COM> wrote:
>> Maybe we need a separate 'GPL licensed libraries and plugins' package 
>> repository outside the 'core OpenSolaris' one, just as much as we appear 
>> to need 'closed source bits and pieces' or 'other less well integrated 
>> software' repositories. In all cases the core architecture should be 
>> defined (IMHO) without reliance on any of these extra pieces of 
>> software. How much architectural effort should be spends on these extras 
>> appears to be an open issue.
> 
> If the libs are small and used by few programs only, they may be linked 
> staically to avoid pushing other people into license violations. 

I don't think static linking makes a difference here. One or few private 
uses (for applications that are GPL) is fine.


> You already 
> mentioned that GPL libs should not export interfaces that are of importance
> for OpenSolaris users.
> 

Does it matter that they 'should not'? I'm sure they do export 
interfaces of interest - and maybe even of importance - to OpenSolaris 
users. The authors simply didn't ask us for permission ;-)

We should make it easy for these users to obtain and use that software. 
But for that it need not be part of the public core Solaris architecture.

> If there are more users of such libs, there could be a directory 
> /usr/lib/encumbered/ to hold them as dynamic versions ;-)
> 

It don't think that name would be politically correct....

>> AFAICT use of GPLv3 in general is a different issue. IIRC Sun has 
>> already released sofware under that license, so it shouldn't be a 
>> problem per se.
> 
> Could you point me to that SW please?
> 

See http://www.sun.com/aboutsun/pr/2008-02/sunflash.20080219.1.xml

- Jörg

-- 
Joerg Barfurth
Software Engineer        mailto:joerg.barfurth at sun.com
Desktop Technology
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