Hi!

"ALR" <alr.dev at free.fr> wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> After having 'smalltalk-squeaked' for few months, I am thinking about using
> squeak for a commercial development.

Nice!
 
> Here are some issues I found about that, and every answer is welcome:
> 
> - Unix and Windows Squeak vm sources licences:
> I recently downloaded a linux version of the squeak vm an found several
> files with the squeak archive : COPYING, LICENSE etc. This distribution does
> not follow the Squeak License : modified files from the unix vm, actually
> copyrighted Ian Piumarta and other contributors, can be renamed and used if
> the copyright notice is replaced by the GPL notice.

Well, I am not sure you got that right. They will only turn into "GPL"
if used in another "context" than "Squeak". I just happen to know :-)
that Ian is just about (or perhaps already has) to commit a much more
clear version of IanSqueakL and that clause.

> This should not be an issue for a commercial product build on squeak, as
> long as the image file (ie the product) is not concerned by this license
> change to GPL, but stay under SqueakL, it's just a bit confusing for our
> customers.
> 
> *** Can someone confirm to me that the image file does not fall under this
> GPL license ?

The image file does not fall under this. And as long as your changed
Unix VM is still used to excute Squeak images it will still be SqueakL.

> *** What about changing the unix vm license to SqueakL instead of GPL ?

Eh? The Unix VM license is under what I like to call "IanSqueakL". It is
a variant of SqueakL that (apart from the 3 very modest clauses
regarding renaming files etc) *is* exactly SqueakL *as long as used in
the context of Squeak*. Ian is, as I said, changing this wording so that
it will be under SqueakL as long as it still can execute an official
Squeak image.

> *** What is the status of the win32 vm source(s) on this point : SqueakL or
> GPL ?

Again, do note that the Unix VM is not under GPL. It only turns into GPL
if the source is being used for something else than running Squeak
images.

And the answer to this question is that Andreas chose to put the Win32
VM supportcode under SqueakL.

Sidenote: Perhaps *now* my points about this issue can more clearly be
understood in the light of this thread. I surely hope that people can
see the trouble that multiple licenses bring us.

> - Fonts is another problem in commercial distribution as there are very few
> free fonts on the web. Most of the fonts who are 'free' are for
> noncommercial use, and I didn't found one usable, the ttf fonts seems to be
> garbage with the font reader.
> This is true for the fonts I found, windows fonts are ok, but copyrighted.
[SNIP]

I will not go into the Font issue, because there are others that know
much more on that topic.

regards, Göran