[OT] Re: GPL - freedom versus restriction

Jecel Assumpcao Jr jecel at merlintec.com
Sun Nov 11 03:20:54 UTC 2001


On Saturday 10 November 2001 18:29, Bijan Parsia wrote:
> it's quite true, afaict, that we *can't* use the GPL with Squeak, and
> that it's highly likely that we couldn't without completely
> unreasonable effort.

I am not sure about that. The SqueakL says:

               You may distribute and sublicense such
               Modified Software only under the terms of a valid,       
               binding license that makes no representations or
               warranties on behalf of Apple, and is no less protective
               of Apple and Apple's rights than this License.

While GPLv2 says in 2.b:

               You must cause any work that you distribute or publish,
               that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the
               Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole
               at no charge to all third parties under the terms of
               this License.

So if you can come up with a new license that is as protective of Apple 
as SqueakL and include the terms of GPLv2 it seems you could release 
the bundle containing Squeak and GPLed software. Unless "under the 
terms of this License" == "this License". Not that I would ever do such 
a thing myself, however... and this should not be take as legal advice 
outside the Antartic continent.

I think Andrew was a bit unfair to Daniel Joyce in that he was 
comparing someone who would take some BSD licensed software and make it 
propriatary with the kid who hogged the trucks - he wasn't talking 
about those who had created the BSD licensed software in the first 
place. And in any case Squeakers are closer to GPLers in this regard 
since SqueakL says:

               If the Modified Software contains modifications,
               overwrites, replacements, deletions, additions, or ports 
               to new platforms of: (1) the methods of existing class
               objects or their existing relationships, or (2) any
               part of the virtual machine, then for so long as the
               Modified Software is distributed or sublicensed to
               others, such modified, overwritten, replaced,
               deleted, added and ported portions of the Modified
               Software must be made publicly available, preferably by
               means of download from a website, at no charge
               under the terms set forth in Exhibit A below.

The only problem with this is that businesses building on Squeak seem 
to run out of funding before they get to the "distributed or 
sublicensed to others" part :-(

But we need not fear the truck hogging kid around here.
-- Jecel




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