On Tue, Jan 02, 2024 at 08:56:55PM +1100, Alexis wrote: > > "Lorenz (xha)" <m...@xha.li> writes: > > > On Mon, Jan 01, 2024 at 08:47:07PM +1100, Alexis wrote: > > > > > > "Lorenz (xha)" <m...@xha.li> writes: > > > > > > > just out of couriosity, why is "as" in the base system if it > is > > > > outdated and is updating it an option? > > > > > > i presume it's due to subsequent versions being licensed under later > > > versions of the GPL, but i'd be happy to be corrected on this point. > > > > i couldn't find any discussions on why the later versions are not > > acceptable in the base system. are there any?
WRT the GPL the policy boils down to: - We do not want new software using GPL in our tree - For existing software we only allow GPL2. For projects that switched license like gcc, we stick at the latest GPL2 version and try to replace the software. > > There's a discussion about GPL software in base at > https://www.openbsd.org/policy.html, although it doesn't mention GPL > versions: > > > The GNU Public License and licenses modeled on it impose the restriction > > that source code must be distributed or made available for all works > > that are derivatives of the GNU copyrighted code. > > > > While this may superficially look like a noble strategy, it is a > > condition that is typically unacceptable for commercial use of software. > > So in practice, it usually ends up hindering free sharing and reuse of > > code and ideas rather than encouraging it. As a consequence, no > > additional software bound by the GPL terms will be considered for > > inclusion into the OpenBSD base system. > > > > For historical reasons, the OpenBSD base system still includes the > > following GPL-licensed components: the GNU compiler collection (GCC) > > with supporting binutils and libraries, GNU CVS, GNU texinfo, the > > mkhybrid file system creation tool, and the readline library. > > Replacement by equivalent, more freely licensed tools is a long-term > > desideratum. > > But, again, someone else will have to describe what's happening with 'as' > specifically; i'm not an OpenBSD dev myself. My speculation about the GPL > version potentially being involved comes from Apple not including versions > of software whose license had been changed from GPL2 to GPL3 (such that e.g. > versions of macOS prior to Catalina only included GNU Emacs 22). > > > Alexis. Dunno what haoppened to as(1) specifically. But as we do not use standalone as(1) for our own builds, it does not get a lot of attention (in additional to the potential licensing issues). -Otto
