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Date: 12 Nov 2000 18:36:31 -0000
Message-ID: <20001112183631.13904.qmail@wizard.math.ualberta.ca>
From: John Bowman <bowman AT math DOT ualberta DOT ca>
To: cgf AT redhat DOT com, moshier AT mediaone DOT net
CC: cygwin AT sources DOT redhat DOT com
In-reply-to: <Pine.LNX.4.20.0011120859210.2531-100000@moshier.ne.mediaone.net>
	(message from Stephen L Moshier on Sun, 12 Nov 2000 09:28:14 -0500
	(EST))
Subject: Re: long double support in cygwin
References:  <Pine DOT LNX DOT 4 DOT 20 DOT 0011120859210 DOT 2531-100000 AT moshier DOT ne DOT mediaone DOT net>

> > >   Why aren't you using any of these six
> > >or seven codes that various people have indeed implemented?
> > >What is the policy?
> >
> > We can't use glibc based code.
> > There are licensing considerations which prevent us from taking code
> > from LGPLed sources
> 
> Fascinating.
> Well, the code I could supply that is not glibc was formally placed
> in the public domain so that the FSF could adopt it and install it into gcc.
> The gcc changes are owned by FSF but I would guess what was in
> the public domain is still in the public domain.  Does that sound
> like something that would satisfy the legal requirement?
> 
> 
> >  That is undoubtedly why no one suggested folding his
> > changes back into newlib.
> 
> I wonder if Bowman, the author of inline-math, knew that the LGPL
> would *prevent* people from using his code!  It should be up to
> him to decide whether you have permission.
> 

I agree. When I LGPLed inline-math, I wanted to make it *easier* for all
developers to be able to use this code, by relaxing some of the restrictions
of the plain GPL license. To quote from the LGPL:

  "The reason we have a separate public license for some libraries is that
they blur the distinction we usually make between modifying or adding to a
program and simply using it.  Linking a program with a library, without
changing the library, is in some sense simply using the library, and is
analogous to running a utility program or application program.  However, in
a textual and legal sense, the linked executable is a combined work, a
derivative of the original library, and the ordinary General Public License
treats it as such.

  Because of this blurred distinction, using the ordinary General
Public License for libraries did not effectively promote software
sharing, because most developers did not use the libraries.  We
concluded that weaker conditions might promote sharing better.

  However, unrestricted linking of non-free programs would deprive the
users of those programs of all benefit from the free status of the
libraries themselves.  This Library General Public License is intended to
permit developers of non-free programs to use free libraries, while
preserving your freedom as a user of such programs to change the free
libraries that are incorporated in them.  (We have not seen how to achieve
this as regards changes in header files, but we have achieved it as regards
changes in the actual functions of the Library.)  The hope is that this
will lead to faster development of free libraries."

> There are licensing considerations which prevent us from taking code
> from LGPLed sources

This does not seem to be consistent with the spirit of the above statements.
If there are genuine legal reasons that are preventing use of LGPL'ed
sources, this should be taken up with FSF. Could appropriate modifications
to the LGPL license solve this problem?

In any case, I hereby give my permission to 
Christopher Faylor <cgf AT redhat DOT com> 
to make unrestricted use of the source code found at
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/libs/inline-math-2.7.tar.gz, 
provided that he respects my right to distribute this code freely to the
programming community.

Sincerely,

-- John Bowman

John Bowman, Associate Professor
Department of Mathematical Sciences
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada T6G 2G1

Office: CAB 521
Phone: +1 780 492 0532
FAX:   +1 780 492 0532 (or 6826)
http://www.math.ualberta.ca/~bowman
Email: bowman AT math DOT ualberta DOT ca



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