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Re: DFSG v2 Draft #5



On Sun, Jan 24, 1999 at 11:08:14PM -0800, Darren Benham wrote:
> 3.3. License of Derived Works 
> ------------------------------
>      The license can require modified and derived software be distributed
>      under the same license or the general requirement "any compatible
>      license."

>      The license may also require the license of modified and derived
>      software be restricted to the same license or to any license that
>      meets these software has the choice of license as long as they meet
>      these guidelines.

I'm not sure I like either of these -- I find them more confusing than just
"The license may require derived works be licensed in a particular way, as
long as derived works can still be distributed under these guidelines", and
I'm not really sure what we're trying to avoid here.

There are a few cases worth thinking about:

	* The GPL requires all future versions to be distributed under the
	  GPL, essentially. This is okay, because you can require the same
	  license, essentially.

	* Modifications released under the QPL 0.92 are available to anyone
	  under the terms of the QPL, and to Troll under terms "You can do
	  whatever you want with this, as long as you release new software
	  that incorporates it under the QPL as well as however else".

	  But this seems to come under the "release under the same license"
	  clause anyway.

The current DFSG says "You've got to be allowed to release modifications
under the original license".

Perhaps we should just leave it like that, with the justification that
``just as free software programmers shouldn't have to be rich to be able
to contribute to your code base, they shouldn't have to be lawyers either.
A simple license is a good one.''

Are there any licenses that can't just say ``if you make some
modifications, just leave the license as is. if you _really_ care,
you can also do such-and-such...'' ?

Cheers,
aj

-- 
Anthony Towns <aj@humbug.org.au> <http://azure.humbug.org.au/~aj/>
I don't speak for anyone save myself. PGP encrypted mail preferred.

``Like the ski resort of girls looking for husbands and husbands looking
  for girls, the situation is not as symmetrical as it might seem.''

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