Re: guile+readline

[Keith Wright <kwright@tiac.net>]

> From: Andrew Archibald <aarchiba@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca>
> - Is the Guile GPL similar enough to the GPL that it is legal to
> construct a program that is a derived work of both? And still under
> the GGPL?

There is no GGPL.  There is the GNU GPL and the GNU Library GPL.
Guile has the Library GPL, which is the same as GPL with this
special exception:

 * As a special exception, the Free Software Foundation gives permission
 * for additional uses of the text contained in its release of GUILE.
 *
 * The exception is that, if you link the GUILE library with other files
 * to produce an executable, this does not by itself cause the
 * resulting executable to be covered by the GNU General Public License.
 * Your use of that executable is in no way restricted on account of
 * linking the GUILE library code into it.
 *
 * This exception does not however invalidate any other reasons why
 * the executable file might be covered by the GNU General Public License.
 *

> - Is a guile interpreter that uses readline a derived program of
> guile? It probably falls under the any-license-you-like part of the
> GGPL. 
> 

I would say definitely, changing one procedure in a large program
is making a derived work.  I do not know what you mean by
the "any-license-you-like" part of GGPL.  Cite the GPL paragraph
you are talking about.

> - Is a guile interpreter that uses readline a derived program of
> readline?  

I'm not sure, but check the licence on readline.  If it is also under
LGPL then the point is moot.

> This is not terribly relevant to a pure guile interpreter.  But it
> might affect people using guile in proprietary applications --- do
> they have to worry about whether some user is going to do (use-modules
> (gnu readline)) and then sue them?

Anybody can sue anybody, but I can't see the user suing for something
ey did emself.  The FSF might sue for distributing copyrighted code in
in violation of the licence.  Read the licence.  Consult a lawyer
if you have a guilty conscience.  I am not one.

-- 
     --Keith

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