Hello,
From the GPL FAQ:
Mere aggregation of two programs means putting them side by side on
the same CD-ROM or hard disk. We use this term in the case where
they are separate programs, not parts of a single program. In this
case, if one of the programs is covered by the GPL, it has no
effect on the other program.
Combining two modules means connecting them together so that they
form a single larger program. If either part is covered by the GPL,
the whole combination must also be released under the GPL--if you
can't, or won't, do that, you may not combine them.
What constitutes combining two parts into one program? This is a
legal question, which ultimately judges will decide. We believe
that a proper criterion depends both on the mechanism of
communication (exec, pipes, rpc, function calls within a shared
address space, etc.) and the semantics of the communication (what
kinds of information are interchanged).
If the modules are included in the same executable file, they are
definitely combined in one program. If modules are designed to run
linked together in a shared address space, that almost surely means
combining them into one program.
By contrast, pipes, sockets and command-line arguments are
communication mechanisms normally used between two separate
programs. So when they are used for communication, the modules
normally are separate programs. But if the semantics of the
communication are intimate enough, exchanging complex internal data
structures, that too could be a basis to consider the two parts as
combined into a larger program.
From the Sonar website:
Sonar installs Sandal in your Application Support folder, runs
Sandal in a shell, and reads the Sandal output in XML form from
standard output. The Sandal/Sonar combined distribution is
permitted by the GPL "mere aggregation" clause. You can run Sandal
without Sonar and read the very same output. However, Sonar
provides many additional features, such as an attractive graphical
interface, event filtering, unlimited event caching, event
searching, an electronic manual, technical support and more.
Looks legitimate to me.
Thanks,
Navdeep Bains
Bains Software
On Jan 21, 2007, at 2:01 AM, Giovanni wrote:
:)
I like your guys interpretation, the thing is, thats not GPL. LGPL
may be.
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