[Haskell-cafe] Re: GPL answers from the SFLC

[Darrin Chandler]

On Thu, Mar 04, 2010 at 07:07:31PM -0500, Stefan Monnier wrote:
> > The thing is that the new X' library can provide the same API while
> > not being very useful (bug, performance, whatever).  And in this case,
> > it is trivial to make that new X'.  So I don't understand why the
> > answer was no in the first place.
> 
> The law is not a set of mathematical rules.  It all needs to be
> interpreted, compared to the underlying intentions etc...
> So while you can say that it's pointless if you push the idea to its
> limit, that doesn't mean that it's meaningless in the context of
> the law.
> All it might mean is that in some cases, the interpretation is
> not clear.  It's those cqases where a court needs to decide which
> interpretation should be favored.

I'd like to point out that sometimes requesting that the author switch
from GPL to LGPL is all it takes. Some may even be willing to switch to
a BSD-style. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Of course libraries with many authors increases the headache.

-- 
Darrin Chandler            |  Phoenix BSD User Group  |  MetaBUG
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