Re: [Jython-dev] Jython license and GPL incompatibility

[Ben B. <be...@ac...>]

> - ReadlineConsole is neither GPL or LGPL

http://www.bablokb.de/java/readline.html, first paragraph: "It is distributed 
under the LGPL."  Although there should be no problem linking LGPL stuff with 
jython, it's the GPLed libreadline.so that gets linked along with it that 
concerns me.

> So in the distributed form, jython doesn't links with any (L)GPL code.
> If anyone installs bablok's Readline class and libreadline and changes
> the python.console option they are creating a derivative work which they
> do not have the right to distribute.

So what's to stop me taking the GPLed fastlib.so, making a new proprietary 
library superfastlib.so that links to fastlib.so but contains my 
modifications, and then selling superfastlib.so but requiring users to 
download fastlib.so themselves; thus I'm not distributing the GPLed code 
myself but I still get the benefit of having a proprietary derivative work as 
such.

i.e. I believe the claim you make defeats the purpose of GPLing a library.  
Of course I could be very much mistaken.  I am not at all well versed in 
licensing details.  I don't say any of this because I am confident that I'm 
correct; I merely say it for the purpose of opening (what I believe is 
necessary) discussion on the issues.

http://www.fsf.org/copyleft/gpl-faq.html#GPLPluginsInNF

This also suggests to me that the readline plugin to Jython cannot be used, 
i.e. sure, you can distribute support for the plugin but nobody should be 
allowed to use it (and hence there's no reason to distribute support for it).

> I have somehow considered ReadlineConsole to be similar to CPython-2.0's
> readline.c file. In itself readline.c did not require CPython to be GPL
> compatible.

As I understand it, at least the debian python2 release disabled readline 
support because of the GPL-incompatibility issue.

IANAL, in fact I know very little about legal matters; these are just my 
thoughts that I'm throwing in.  If you like I can raise the issue on 
deb...@li... and see what they have to say.

Ben.

-- 

Ben Burton
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http://baasil.humbug.org.au/bab/
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