RE: RPG 'CPAN' site

["David Morris" <David.Morris@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jim,

Here is an example:

You write a PDM like interface over the IFS. You
call the IFS routines in the iSeries-toolkit but
did not modify the iSeries-toolkit routines. You
distribute your package (no source) along with
instructions that state that your package requires
the user to download and install the
iSeries-toolkit (you can actually host the
download or provide it on CD -- and charge for
the CD!). Everything is OK.

Case 2: You write a PDM interface and use
iSeries-toolkit procedures. You find that you
need to modify some of the iSeries-toolkit
procedures to work with your program. You change
them and bundle the modified iSeries-toolkit
procedures with your package without including
your source. This is not OK.

In case 2, you need to donate your modified
iSeries-toolkit procedures to the iSeries-toolkit
project. If they are accepted, you can then
use them as in case 1. There are many examples
of this and to the best of my knowledge no one
has been sued over this sort use. You can also
request clarificatin from the original copyright
holder.

Think about all of the GPL software that IBM
is now providing with the iSeries. When they
did that they did not start providing the
source to the operating system and I don't think
they would risk that if their lawyers were not
comfortable with GPL software.

David Morris

>>> jlangston@celsinc.com 03/01/02 14:56 PM >>>
I just went and read the license from :
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt

I was going back on forth on whether or not a proprietary program would
have
to be licensed under the GNU until I got to the very bottom of the page
which makes it quite clear:

This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program
into
proprietary programs.  If your program is a subroutine library, you may
consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary applications with
the
library.  If this is what you want to do, use the GNU Library General
Public License instead of this License.

"This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program
into
proprietary programs" pretty much says it all, I think....