Subject: RE: Cygwin Python Distribution GPL Licensing Issue?
From: "Tim Peters" <[email-masked]>
To: "DJ Delorie" <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>
Cc: <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2001 02:59:41 -0400

[DJ Delorie]
> OK, I can short-cut the rest of this, then.

Then I can cut mine even thinner <wink>.

> Building a Python binary with Cygwin is OK, provided there are
> no *other* things you link in that cause problems.  The Cygwin
> exception is specifically designed to allow GPL-incompatible
> yet otherwise open source projects be built with Cygwin.

This is one for Jason:  When I execute the python.exe I get from Cygwin
Setup, I'm pretty sure it's been linked against GNU readline.  Since readline
is the FSF's GPL lightning rod, you probably want to change that (but, sorry,
I don't know what you would need to do -- for obvious reasons, this isn't a
problem in the Windows build!).

> ...
> If Python is not GPL, this is irrelevent anyway.  You don't need to
> interpret a license you don't use - it's the people who combine works
> who need to worry about multiple licenses.

Understood -- and I feel darned sorry for them.  We've been working for
almost a year to get a Python license the FSF is willing to *say* is
GPL-compatible, but for various reasons it still doesn't look that's going to
happen soon.

>> and the Python license does not require derivative works to be
>> released as open source.

> It *allows* it, yes?

Absolutely yes.  The community culture strongly encourages it, too.  But
Guido doesn't want to *force* it.  Python is subversive rather than
confrontational that way, perhaps just because Guido is Dutch <wink>.

> ...
> Nothing is clear when it comes to licensing.

Heh.  Indeed, it makes emulating fork() under Windows look obvious.

Thanks for your patience here, and for all Cygwin's great work!

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