On 01/16/2018 07:51 PM, Jeff Epler wrote:
Our policy is that any code added to LinuxCNC has to be compatible with
the license terms "GPL version 2 or any later version".
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLCompatibleLicenses
Anything that imposes a restriction on how the software can be used (for
example, if it is claimed that using the software requires an additional
license, as Beckhoff Automation GmbH reportedly does) cannot be
incorporated.
For a rather old thread on exactly the same topic, see this one from
2013:
https://sourceforge.net/p/emc/mailman/emc-developers/thread/20131022150751.GB2631%40unpythonic.net/
Jeff
Is that the link from our discussion a few years ago? " We're sorry --
the Sourceforge site is currently in Disaster Recovery mode. Please
check back later." Ugh.
I actually revisited this again a few months ago myself. As mentioned
in the earlier thread, the sticking point with Beckhoff seems to be the
EtherCAT name. They're worried that EtherCAT master implementations
floating around that don't work properly will soil the technology's
reputation, and they think that this license restriction will somehow
address that.
We talked to a lawyer who suggested simply don't use the name EtherCAT.
That may not be OK with the LCNC project, but might be ok for someone
wanting to ship a product running LCNC and containing EtherCAT slave
devices.
Another possibility is for someone else to host the code elsewhere and
make it able to build out of tree against the LCNC devel packages. That
would insulate the project, and some risk-tolerant person might decide
the benefits make it worthwhile.
John (not a lawyer)
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