Mail Archives: cygwin/2002/04/13/04:59:22
VCDEasy is originally a Graphical Interface helping users to use VCDImager.
Then I added cdrdao and some mjpeg tools to ease the VCD creation process.
If I include in some VCDEasy distributions these command line tools, it is
only to easy the end user setup. Note that VCDEasy is a Win32 native
application, made with the free Personal Borland Delphi 6, it does not use
cygwin directly.
I bought some components so I do not have the rights to publish them. So
now, based on the fact that I will not publish the source, what should I do
? Stop my VCDEasy freeware development ? Or does advertise for cygwin
directly on my application can be enough ? Something else ? Distribute the
Win32 gui only and tell the user to download everything else themselves...
in this case I think I am ok with all the licenses... but it won't help the
end users... I am not deliberately violating the cygwin GPL license, I
only try to help end users, I hope you can understand that. As I said,
VCDEasy is a Win32 native application, it does not use cygwin directly.
Note that the situation is worse as I identified at least two commercial
packages that sell my application (including VCDImager and CDRDAO) without
any rights... They are making money...
delphi.stuff
At 19:46 12/04/2002 -0400, Charles Wilson wrote:
>License compliance for programs which use cygwin.
> VCDImager (cygiwin-1.3.6)
> cdrdao (cygwin-1.1.8)
> VCDEasy-full (BOTH cygwin's, since it includes the above)
>
>I'm ignoring the issue of multiple cygwin versions installed on the same
>system, which may conflict with a "real" cygwin environment on the user's
>computer, and with each other....that's a different topic (and I don't
>know what the "right" solution is, so...skip it)
>
>Here, I'm only concerned with projects that are not complying with the GPL
>license of the cygwin DLL. Since all of these projects are part of the
>open-source milieu, I know that any infraction of the license of another
>open-source project is unintentional...but violations should be remedied.
>
>Note that it's very easy for each of these projects to comply with
>cygwin's license (the GPL): just
> 1) make their own source available (true already, for most of them)
> 2) put a tarball of the (appropriate) cygwin DLL source code on
> their ftp site with their other downloads,
> 3) ditto for other cygwin-linked libraries (zlib, libxml, libjpeg)
> if applicable
> 4) mention the availability of the source code for libraries
> used to create their windows port somewhere on their
> webpage (not strictly necessary, but what's the point of
> 1 -- 3 if you don't advertise it?)
> 5) A plug for the cygwin project itself (http://www.cygwin.com)
> would be nice, but definitely not necessary for license compliance.
>
>To dampen the inevitable arguments about the GPL:
>If you distribute a binary (such as cygwin1.dll) that is under the GPL,
>then YOU have to also distribute the source code for THAT binary. You
>cannot just say "get the source over there, at cygwin.com". If you don't
>believe me, READ the GPL. READ the commentary on it by RMS. In addition,
>if you link your executable to a GPL'ed shared library (lik cygwin1.dll),
>then you must distribute the source code for your executable, as well, or
>you lose the right to use cygwin1.dll. It's all there in the GPL.
>
>Chuck
>cygwin hacker
>
>VCDEasy includes:
>
> cdrdao-1.1.5
> which contains cygwin1.dll-1.1.8
> cdrdao doesn't distribute the source of cygwin,
> although it is opensource itself. They DO
> distribute a cygwin-linked "windows" binary
> along with a copy of cygwin1.dll itself
> (but no mention of the cygwin project anywhere)
> BTW: not even cygwin distributes or uses this old
> version anymore. Fortunately, the VCDImager guys
> went thru the effort of extracting from CVS and
> creating a cygwin-1.1.8 tarball, back when they
> were using that old version. The cdrdao guys could
> a) get it from them & redistribute it, or b) update
> to a newer cygwin and get the source from us.
>
> mjpeg-tools
> which contains cygwin1.dll-1.3.6 and cygjpeg6b.dll
> Now, the mjpegtools project doesn't seem to provide
> windows binaries; the windows (e.g. cygwin) port
> seems to be something the VCDEasy folks did.
>
> VCDImager
> which contains cygwin1.dll-1.3.6, cygz.dll, and cygxml-2.dll
> VCDImager provides the src for cygwin, but not
> zlib or xml. (Actually, they provide LOTS of different
> src tarballs -- probably more than they need to -- but
> all for various versions of cygwin, not zlib/xml.
>
>So, to sum up:
>
> VCDImager project: seems mostly compliant; need a reminder to
> include also OTHER source code (zlib, libxml)
>
> cdrdao: open source, but not complying with the cygwin GPL.
> they need to distribute the source for:
> cygwin-1.1.8
>
> mjpeg-tools: they don't distribute cygwin-linked binaries, so
> they are under no obligation to distribute cygwin sources.
>
> VCDEasy (includes all of the above): provides no source, whatsoever,
> for cygwin, cygwin-linked binaries, cygwin-linked dlls, nothing.
> NADA. ZILCH. Totally non-compliant.
> VCDEasy needs to distribute the source for:
> cygwin-1.1.8
> cygwin-1.3.6
> zlib
> libxml
> jpeg
> mjpeg-tools
> vcdimager
> cdrdao
> AND
> itself.
>
>Contact info:
>
>VCDImager: hvr AT hvrlab DOT org
>cdrdao: Manuel Clos at cdrdao-devel AT lists DOT sourceforge DOT net
>mjpeg-tools: (not needed)
>VCDEasy: delphi DOT stuff AT vcdhelp DOT com
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