From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: from nez-perce.inria.fr (nez-perce.inria.fr [192.93.2.78]) by yquem.inria.fr (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9E7B6BC88 for ; Mon, 31 Jan 2005 09:02:23 +0100 (CET) Received: from pauillac.inria.fr (pauillac.inria.fr [128.93.11.35]) by nez-perce.inria.fr (8.13.0/8.13.0) with ESMTP id j0V82Nhh032085 for ; Mon, 31 Jan 2005 09:02:23 +0100 Received: from nez-perce.inria.fr (nez-perce.inria.fr [192.93.2.78]) by pauillac.inria.fr (8.7.6/8.7.3) with ESMTP id JAA21683 for ; Mon, 31 Jan 2005 09:02:22 +0100 (MET) Received: from smtp3.wanadoo.fr (smtp3.wanadoo.fr [193.252.22.28]) by nez-perce.inria.fr (8.13.0/8.13.0) with ESMTP id j0V82Mbo032082 for ; Mon, 31 Jan 2005 09:02:22 +0100 Received: from me-wanadoo.net (unknown [127.0.0.1]) by mwinf0308.wanadoo.fr (SMTP Server) with ESMTP id 6973520000A3; Mon, 31 Jan 2005 09:02:22 +0100 (CET) Received: from pegasos (AStrasbourg-251-1-65-234.w82-126.abo.wanadoo.fr [82.126.133.234]) by mwinf0308.wanadoo.fr (SMTP Server) with ESMTP id 2D3E32000097; Mon, 31 Jan 2005 09:02:22 +0100 (CET) X-ME-UUID: 20050131080222185.2D3E32000097@mwinf0308.wanadoo.fr Received: from luther by pegasos with local (Exim 4.43) id 1CvWSx-0006lL-U6; Mon, 31 Jan 2005 08:59:23 +0100 Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2005 08:59:23 +0100 To: Alex Baretta Cc: Sven Luther , Ocaml Subject: Re: [Caml-list] Ocaml license - why not GPL? Message-ID: <20050131075923.GE19902@pegasos> References: <20050128164744.GG13718@osiris.uid0.sk> <20050129.150538.78035843.garrigue@math.nagoya-u.ac.jp> <20050130062235.GC32348@pegasos> <20050131.095711.27629180.garrigue@math.nagoya-u.ac.jp> <41FDD853.5090801@barettadeit.com> <20050131073813.GC19902@pegasos> <41FDE282.7040709@barettadeit.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <41FDE282.7040709@barettadeit.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.6+20040907i From: Sven Luther X-Miltered: at nez-perce with ID 41FDE60F.000 by Joe's j-chkmail (http://j-chkmail.ensmp.fr)! X-Miltered: at nez-perce with ID 41FDE60E.000 by Joe's j-chkmail (http://j-chkmail.ensmp.fr)! X-Spam: no; 0.00; caml-list:01 ocaml:01 gpl:01 sven:01 luther:01 sven:01 luther:01 baretta:01 wrote:01 wrote:01 baretta:01 hmmm:01 toplevel:01 compiler:01 toplevel:01 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.2 (2004-11-16) on yquem.inria.fr X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.0 required=5.0 tests=none autolearn=disabled version=3.0.2 X-Spam-Level: On Mon, Jan 31, 2005 at 08:47:14AM +0100, Alex Baretta wrote: > Sven Luther wrote: > >On Mon, Jan 31, 2005 at 08:03:47AM +0100, Alex Baretta wrote: > > > >>Hmmm... This is an interesting point! The toplevel library includes the > >>compiler code, which is licensed under the QPL, but yet somehow must be > >>allowed to link to GPLed libraries and programs. If the toplevel library > >>may not be linked with GPLed code, then the toplevel itself become > >>hardly usable, and a significant portion of my code, which is GPLed and > >>links the toplevel library, would be illegal. > > > > > >Indeed. > > This bothers me quite a bit. Am I to expect a legal pursuit from INRIA > for violating the QPL for having released mixed GPL+QPL code? Or am I to > pursue myself because the QPL breaks my own GPLed code? Well, i doubt any of the above will happen. In your case this is not a real issue anyway, and a simple mail from the ocaml team authorizing your usage should be ok. Not sure about the GPL part of it though, especially once you start distributing your work. You may release your own code under the GPL, with the exception that it may be linked with the ocaml toplevel, which is what i have done for a kernel driver module which links with a binary only library. The licence says something like : In addition, as a special exception, BeWAN systems gives permission to link the code of this program with the modem SW library (modem_ant_PCI.o, modem_ant_USB.o), and distribute linked combinations including the two. You are also given permission to redistribute the modem SW library (modem_ant_PCI.o, modem_ant_USB.o) with the rest of the code. You must obey the GNU General Public License in all respects for all of the code used other than the modem SW library. This would solve your issue, i think. > >>Might the caml breeders please comment on this issue? > > I would really appreciate an official response from the INRIA people. I > think Ocaml is a great tool for commercial free software development, > but in order to be able to build a thriving business I must make sure > that Xavier et al. won't meet me with a team of Dobermans to settle > copyright issues... I will not speak for Xavier et al. here, but i seriously doubt this is going to happen anytime soon. That said, it is well possible that someone else who contributed code to the ocaml, albeit indirectly or whatever, may have the right to sue you or something. Not sure, though, after further reflexion, i believe that the problem is not going to come from the ocaml side, but from your customers side, which will receive your code under the GPL, but not have all the rights associated with the GPL, and encouter the risk of having their modifications being reusable by the ocaml team under whatever licence they chose in addition to the QPL. Friendly, Sven Luther > > Alex > > -- > ********************************************************************* > http://www.barettadeit.com/ > Baretta DE&IT > A division of Baretta SRL > > tel. +39 02 370 111 55 > fax. +39 02 370 111 54 > > Our technology: > > The Application System/Xcaml (AS/Xcaml) > > > The FreerP Project > >