Re: Hamster

On Tuesday 30 March 2004 21:11, Asko Kauppi wrote:
> What's wrong with GPL?  You're using gcc (which is GPL) so why couldn't
> the make be. Actually, you're using gnu make, right?
>
> You're not the first to criticize this, but either I don't get the
> issue or there is some misconception here. I'm careful to exclude any
> GPL from LuaX but can still use GPL tools to build it..
>
> Of course, Hamster being GPL is just my preliminary decision, and can
> be changed. "Just for fun" I wouldn't change it without a proper
> reasoning.

There's no problem with /using/ GPL software (a little hard not to if you 
target Linux...). It's /distributing/ GPL software which is the problem: gcc 
and make are assumed to be already present on the target machine, and the 
autotools have a special exemption for the parts which are bundled in the 
distribution. The Hamster code would have to be included in the LuaCheia 
distribution if LuaCheia were to be built with it. The effect of including 
this GPLed code would be to force the entire distribution to be released 
under the GPL, rather than the more permissive MIT license.

There would be no problem in using Hamster if it were packaged separately, but 
given that it is not exactly widely available, that would be an undesirable 
burden on users.

Possibility if you don't want to abandon the GPL entirely (since if you 
release under a more permissive license in one place, you may as well 
everywhere): LuaCheia could include only the bytecode-compiled form of 
Hamster, and you could make an exception to the license for the Hamster 
sources which permits the compiled code to be used in any way. This is IIRC 
the approach taken for the glibc headers, and is somewhat (and necessarily) 
more permissive than the LGPL.

-- Jamie Webb


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