Re: License Question

Hi!

marbusse@xxxxxxxxxxx (Markus Fritsche) wrote:
> Hi!
> 
> I'm trying to port the JdmMysqlDriver to GNU Smalltalk ( 
> http://swiki.squeakfoundation.org/gst/6 ). I got so far that I can 
> connect to the server and the server replies 'error'. This port relies 
> on squeak's SequenceableCollection>>#pairsDo and the methods from 
> "ByteArray-platform independent access". Am I right that I'll have to 
> code around this if I want to release my code (with or without all 
> dependencies)? If yes, do I'll have to start from scratch with these 
> methods?
> Some license evangelist around? :-)

Hmm, first of all, I am not a lawyer etc etc. :-)

Others may have much better answers but here is my take on it, and I may
be wrong:

1. The code you refer to (pairsDo:, ByteArray methods) was written by
Dan Ingalls and Andreas Raab in 1998. This means the code is owned by
Apple (or was it Disney at that time?) and is under SqueakL.

2. Since you probably intend to release your port under GPL the above
code is off limits for you - it is under SqueakL and as such (quoting
the license) "You may distribute and sublicense such Modified Software
only under the terms of a valid, binding license that makes no
representations or warranties on behalf of Apple, and is no less
protective of Apple and Apple's rights than this License.". This means
you can not sublicense it as GPL. And since Andreas and Dan do not own
this code (they worked at Apple when writing it) they can not (even if
they wanted to) dual license it to you under the GPL.

3. Obviously you are porting the Squeak port to GNU Smalltalk. Have you
looked at the original for VW? At:
http://www.jdmsoft.com/MysqlDriver.html It seems to be under the GPL,
which on the other hand is quite up for discussion - GNU considers
loading Smalltalk code into a Smalltalk image as linking which means
that GPLed Smalltalk code "contaminates" the whole image. This is not a
problem for you since you are using GNU Smalltalk (which already is all
GPL) and you probably intend to use GNU Smalltalk to write GPL programs.
In fact, if I have understood this correctly, GNU Smalltalk can only be
used to write GPL programs due to this linking problem! Anyway - perhaps
you could base your port from the original version instead?

4. If you do not intend to distribute your port - perhaps you just need
it for a personal or inhouse project - then you don't need to worry.
Just take the code. ;-)

regards, Göran

PS. Personally I prefer the MIT-license (a cleaned up BSD variant). It
makes everything so much easier... DS