On Friday 07 September 2007 17:05, simo wrote: > On Sat, 2007-09-08 at 00:19 +0930, Dan Shearer wrote: > > > Currently there is zero downside that I can see to maintaining the > > > > license > > > > > GPLv2. It doesn't restrict users from using GPLv3 code. There is > > > > no > > > > > restriction on mixing any kind of software licenses, the restriction > > > > comes in > > > > > distributing the code, and normally users are not going to > > > > distribute Bacula > > > > > code with their own GPLv3 additions. > > > > That seems a correct analysis. It is a per-project policy decision > > whether to set things up so that others can distribute the code, or > > not. > > If you choose to prohibit redistribution in the case where someone > > downstream adds GPLv3 code, that is your right. Some people may get a > > surprise though. > > Uhmm normally users gets bacula preferably in a distribution. > Fedora was not able to ship bacula in the past for problems with mixing > incompatible licenses that seem to be fixed, but if some important > library is under GPLv3 and bacula is GPLv2 only they will have to > exclude that functionality or stop distributing the code. > > Being able to distribute code is usually very important for it to be > wildly adopted.
Email tends to be rather harsh, so please be aware that I am not angry -- I am just trying to explain what I consider a little known and an unfortunate situation. Also I am not at all against GPL neither v2 nor v3, but I do think that the two licenses have a major fault that makes them overly restrictive. In reading what you write, I think you are just "not getting it". The problem is not Bacula. Bacula is OpenSource. I want it to be built with every and any Open Source program, and am willing to make my license in that way. The problem is that people are using GPL (me too) which prohibits use with certain Open Source software. It is the GPLv3 licenses that prevents their code from being used with Bacula not the other way around regardless of what license or exceptions I make. I am perfectly willing to let Bacula be used with GPLv3 code. However, *regardless* of what words I put, anyone with a GPLv3 license restricts Bacula from being linked with GPLv3 code and then distributed because Bacula is Open Source and uses OpenSSL. The problem is in the GPL license itself, and until people wake up and realize that in using the GPL unmodified they are using a license that is not a Free and Open license but rather a restrictive license that prohibits using all Open Source code together, we are all going to have certain licensing problems. If you want Free and Open software, it seems to me silly to choose one that cuts off a huge amount of software -- this is exactly what I did, but at least now I understand it. If *everyone* used the same GPL license, there would be no problems, but the fact is that there are hundreds of licenses, and some very good software written with a lot of them that are not GPL compatible. Even the original BSD and still widely used license is not compatible with GPL -- that is almost unimaginable. > > That said, you may prefer to preclude some distribution and keep the > license as is, as Dan correctly said, it is the authors decision. Again, IMO, the problem comes from the blind usage of the GPL and thus cutting out perfectly good software such as OpenSSL. Please take the time to look at the reasons why the FSF considers OpenSSL incompatible with the GPL -- it is a rather petty reason in my opinion, and the decision should be left up to the developers not forced on them. Don't you find it annoying that your license restricts you from using certain software that is free, the source is available, and you can modify and redistribute it. I do. Anyway, I think we have pretty much exhausted this subject. Regards, Kern > > Simo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This SF.net email is sponsored by: Splunk Inc. Still grepping through log files to find problems? Stop. Now Search log events and configuration files using AJAX and a browser. Download your FREE copy of Splunk now >> http://get.splunk.com/ _______________________________________________ Bacula-devel mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-devel
