RE: [Plib-devel] Licensing for Console Applications.

[Brian N. <ze...@on...>]

On Tue, 13 Jun 2000, Dave McClurg wrote:

> I'm not a lawyer but it seems like if I put *ALL* my
> changes back into the public domain, keep all the NDA'ed
> api calls in my client code, and provide all my object
> files, then I am legal with respect to the LGPL and the
> Sony NDA.  I also feel like I am in keeping with the spirit
> of the LGPL.   Money issues aside, I'd rather help develop
> opensource with PLIB than buy proprietary Renderware for the PS2.
> 
> Isn't the customer responsible for buying a $5000 metrowerks
> compiler and getting the PS2 SDKs?  :) Must I be responsible for
> providing the end-user with *ALL* the tools and NDA'ed libraries
> he/she needs to re-link?  For example, say I am doing a
> WIN32 app with PLIB and using VISUALC V6.  Do I need to
> buy the end-user a copy of VISUALC?  Does the LGPL say the tools
> need to be available to everyone.  What if you don't have
> money to buy VISUALC.  Does that mean you could sue?

Wow... This is an interesting point I never have considered. Based
on what Dave has to say above, I don't think there's any reason to
try to modify the license to include a special case for console
systems.

As long as you keep all NDA'd code out of your changes, submit any
changes back to the PLIB project, and provide object files on your
distribution media, you should be set from all legal directions.
The -only- way I can think that you might run into a problem is if
the game you're developing is tight on space on your choice of
media.  In that case, it's gonna be a burden for you to distribute
object files just to meet the LGPL.

The interesting thing here is that, more than likely, NO end user
would relink your program against any new version of PLIB. Sure,
someone with a PS2 dev setup and some free time might screw around
with it, but that's about it.

You don't have to provide the tools to relink... that's somewhat
absurd. But if you want to buy me a PS2 dev kit, I'll buy a copy
of your game when it's released :)

-Brian