> > You can configure OpenSSL so as not to use RC5 and IDEA by using
> > ./config no-rc5 no-idea
> > +
> > +
> > +* Can I use OpenSSL with GPL software?
> > +
> > +On many systems including the major Linux and BSD distributions, yes (the
> > +GPL does not place restrictions on using libraries that are part of the
> > +normal operating system distribution).
> > +
> > +On other systems, the situation is less clear. Some GPL software copyright
> > +holders claim that you infringe on their rights if you use OpenSSL with
> > +their software on operating systems that don't normally include OpenSSL.
>
> Should we indicate that we disagree with this point of view?
>
Not only that but certainly the FSF has not been enforcing these
restrictions on other products. CVS (a GPL program) has been linked
to MIT Kerberos 4 and Kerberos 5 via GSSAPI for over a decade without
a scream (or even a whimper.)
The MIT license reads:
"Copyright (C) 1985-2000 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"All rights reserved.
"Export of this software from the United States of America may require
a specific license from the United States Government. It is the
responsibility of any person or organization contemplating export to
obtain such a license before exporting.
"WITHIN THAT CONSTRAINT, permission to use, copy, modify, and
distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and
without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright
notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and
this permission notice appear in supporting documentation, and that
the name of M.I.T. not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining
to distribution of the software without specific, written prior
permission. Furthermore if you modify this software you must label
your software as modified software and not distribute it in such a
fashion that it might be confused with the original MIT software.
M.I.T. makes no representations about the suitability of this software
for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied
warranty."
Notice that it requires that the copyright notice be listed in all
supporting documentation. That would include manuals, web sites, ...
It then goes on to list other copyrights that also need to be adhered
to:
"Individual source code files are copyright MIT, Cygnus Support,
OpenVision, Oracle, Sun Soft, FundsXpress, and others."
and which have their own restrictions. For the FSF to be making a
fuss about this is absurd unless they are will to write and support
all of this stuff themselves.
Notice that even after 20 years of RMS placing Kermit on the list of
things that must be done in a GPL manner he has never done so. I
doubt someone else is ever going to open source a competitor for
OpenSSL. There is just to much work that would need to go into it and
too much technical knowledge which exists in only a limited number of
minds.
Ignore the FSF and their GPL. They are only hurting themselves.
Jeffrey Altman * Sr.Software Designer
The Kermit Project * Columbia University
612 West 115th St * New York, NY * 10025 * USA
http://www.kermit-project.org/ * [EMAIL PROTECTED]
______________________________________________________________________
OpenSSL Project http://www.openssl.org
Development Mailing List [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Automated List Manager [EMAIL PROTECTED]
