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List:       koffice-devel
Subject:    Re: Most of the colorspaces are back !
From:       Cyrille Berger <cberger () cberger ! net>
Date:       2006-11-25 19:54:19
Message-ID: 200611252054.19275.cberger () cberger ! net
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> Actually, no. It's fine to write GPL code that runs and links against
> whatever closed source system you want. You just have to make it clear that
> you, the author, allows that. (And then there's the whole situation of
> being allowed to link against closed system libraries).
it's not really GPL anymore, it's GPL+exceptions, you can't link or use code 
of another GPL project that don't contains that exception.

> > As for kolourpaint, which is bsd, it can links
> > against pigment and remains bsd. But as soon as some users wants to use
> > one of the plugins colorspace the binary becomes GPL.
>
> Nope. It doesn't work that way. If Clarence takes the LGPL pigment library
> and one of his users take our GPL rgb32 plugin, the license of Kolourpaint 
> doesn't change at all. 
right the licence on the source doesn't change, but the running licence is 
different. but you are right it's a gray area in the gpl anyway. it's the 
same problem as with close source module in the kernel : is kolourpaint + 
pigment a good enought seperated interface between the rgb plugin and a 
potential close source plugin ?

> It is impossible for a user to change the license of 
> an application: only the author can do that.
Yes you can, what you can't change is the copyright. 
If you take for instance the licence compatibility definition from the fsf :
http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/compat.html or from wikipedia 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSD_and_GPL_licensing) "Code licensed under the 
BSD license can be relicensed under the GPL (is "GPL-compatible") without 
securing the consent of all original authors. "

And it has happen quiet a number of time that a bsd project got converted to 
gpl without the agreement of the author.

-- 
--- Cyrille Berger ---
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