For those who don't subscribe to the pan-dev list, a heads-up. I just posted there a (typically Duncan =:^) rather long and detailed analysis of a license issue with the now in development secure connections feature, since it uses openssl, which has a license incompatible with pan's GPL.
Briefly, the issue only affects distribution of binaries, so building from source isn't an issue but binary-based distributions (including pan on MSWindows) are going to face a rather difficult legal choice if the current situation isn't changed. They could simply disable openssl support at compile time and do without the feature, not /so/ bad since pan's been without it for over a decade and survived, or enable it and gamble that no one with copyright interest will sue them. Of course, the big distros will disable it as a result, but a few minor distros will take the gamble. There are five possible choices I could think of, two of which aren't really viable. The three remaining options include (numbered as they are in the detailed post, 1, 3 and 4): 1) Continue as we are and let the distros and their users worry about it. It won't affect those compiling from sources anyway and as mentioned, pan did without the feature for a decade, so it can continue to do without it. 3) Switch to the license compatible gnutls or nss. Gnutls is more commonly used. 4) Support both openssl and one or both of gnutls/nss. Binary distros could then enable one of the license compatible options and it would be primarily build-from-sources users that would use the openssl option. Obviously, Heinrich is the guy doing the implementation and in pan as in much of FLOSS "he who codes, decides", so it's really his decision to make, especially since #3 and 4 will be rather more work, but I thought pan's users interested enough to be regulars here, might be interested in this as well. If you /are/ interested, head over there for the detailed post, and preferably reply to it as well if you're going to reply, thus keeping discussion in one place. But if you're interested but not /that/ interested, you can comment here, and the "passing level of interest comment" can be noted as such. IOW, if you're going to reply, reply over there if you REALLY care. =:^) Of course, if you just want me to quit bothering you with such heads-up posts, reply here. =8^0 -- Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs. "Every nonfree program has a lord, a master -- and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman _______________________________________________ Pan-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/pan-users
