Hello all, after browsing the developer list's archive for some discussions about licensing, I felt like contributing one or two thoughts. I hope nobody minds my entering the discussion, although I just started using nant, with no code contributions so far.
1) I feel that one major point was not mentioned in the licensing thread from last month: the GPL has two two major goals. one is obviously to make sure that free software stays free. the other one however seems to be to give the free software community an advantage over commercially licensed software. that of course is only possible by putting things in the way of anyone who wants to charge for their software. the following quote is from a discussion about whether to use GPL or LGPL: http://www.fsf.org/licenses/why-not-lgpl.html "Proprietary software developers have the advantage of money; free software developers need to make advantages for each other. Using the ordinary GPL for a library gives free software developers an advantage over proprietary developers: a library that they can use, while proprietary developers cannot use it." without reading the fine print, this statement alone says to me: don't use the GPL if you don't share that intention. (or if you want your product to be an alternative to comercially available stuff, that's what the lesser GPL seems to be about.) it also says to me as a potential NAnt user: if you want to charge for your software *and* use NAnt, this product's license goes out of its way to make this harder. 2) another perspective I'd like to add: I understand the problem with producing tools for Nant (GUI designers etc.) and intergrating it woth other products (IDEs). we're not into tool-building, but I may still face the following problem: say I develop a project that has little to do with Nant, but I'd like to distribute Nant to use its functionality not only for building, but for installing too. (an idea I grabbed from the SDC sample on gotdotnet: http://www.gotdotnet.com/Community/UserSamples/Details.aspx?SampleGuid=2 CB20E79-D706-4706-9EA0-26188257EE7D ) NAnt may one day choose to add specific support for integrating .build file sections in MSI install scripts. However, AFAIU the GPL could be a major obstacle in using this stuff. (and switching licenses won't getting any easier, should you choose to do this at a later point.) I have no problem contributing whatever enhancements I might come up with, be it modificatiosn or new tasks. neither would my company. it makes my life easier, and it's just fair. however, if I get the feeling that the GPL could 'infect' my product just because it *uses* Nant (as opposed to extend), I'd have to drop it like a hot stone. 3) msbuild. it's going to take its time, but one day it will compete with Nant (and I believe there will be a need for NAnt even if msbuild is available). I imagine that the NAnt developers will be trying to make sure both are as compatible as possible - in both build files and custom tasks. choosing a too strict license could lead to a situation where custom tasks that could be available for NAnt will not. being msbuild compatible does not require source-disclosure, while being NAnt compatible would. We all know where the big market is going to be, so dropping NAnt support would not be a hard decision for some companies. without the licensing problems, adding it could be an even easier decision. 4) if some or all of my concerns should be invalid, it just goes two show how GPL fear works against Nant adoption. maybe some clear words on the project homepage from someone who really understands open source licensing could help then. I hope I'm not too negative on the GPL, and I'm no licensing expert either. just my two cents. Regards, Stefan ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.net email is sponsored by: SF.net Giveback Program. Does SourceForge.net help you be more productive? Does it help you create better code? SHARE THE LOVE, and help us help YOU! Click Here: http://sourceforge.net/donate/ _______________________________________________ nant-developers mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/nant-developers