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List:       kde-cygwin
Subject:    RE: interesting not relating to qt and gpl
From:       "Chris January" <chris () atomice ! net>
Date:       2003-02-04 0:05:51
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> > > Hi all,
> > >
> > > I'vwe found an interestung article from the qt's relating to the
> > > earlier step
> > > for making the qt/x11 gpl based.
> > >
> > > http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/2269/1/
> > >
> > > Any comments?
> > Quote: "Early on we feared a fork in the code. "
> >
> > This is the biggest problem if we do our own native Windows
> port of Qt - it
> > will be a fork of the code. Trolltech's fears would be
> justified. I don't
> > think much at all of Trolltech's argument for not releasing their Win32
> > version of Qt under the GPL however, so I think we should press ahead.
>
> But doesn't we've tried to get in contact several time with
> trolltech relating
> to this topic ?

Yes, I have also tried to get in contact.

> Additional some days ago I've written an email to Erik Eng,
> trolltechs ceo, but
> haven't got any answer until now. (I have send you the email
> private. Please
> send me a comment if we should publish it on the list)
>
> > Then again, I'm not a Free Software purist.
> Sorry, I don't understand, what you try to say with this.

As I understand it from my previous attempts to open a dialogue with
Trolltech on this issue, their current stance (as stated in their FAQ) is
that because Windows is not a Free as in speech operating system, they do
not want to release Qt on that platform under a Free Software license. This,
in my opinion, is nonsense and is a poor excuse for not helping the
kde-cygwin team create a GPL'ed version of Qt that could be used to run KDE
on Windows. Of course Trolltech have every right not to help us and no
obligation to do so. However their fears about a code fork, etc. that were
mooted as reasons for not GPL'ing the X version of Qt in the first place
could actually be averted by releasing the Win32 version of Qt as GPL now.

>
> Should we buy a qt license for windows like suggest by somone on kde.org
> http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-core-devel&m=103167397112577&w=2 and
> reactivate the
> old license issues ?
>
> The kde peoples says that a native kde would be very important
> (from above mail)

Let's not go along that road. KDE can't be linked against the commercial
version of Qt, AFAIK, and that's the reason we're asking Trolltech to GPL Qt
on Windows.

Chris

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