- To: "Jason Tishler" <Jason dot Tishler at dothill dot com>, "Python-Dev" <python-dev at python dot org>
- Subject: RE: [Python-Dev] Re: Cygwin Python Distribution (was ANNOUNCE: Python 2.1 final release)
- From: "Tim Peters" <tim dot one at home dot com>
- Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 21:32:05 -0400
[Clark C. Evans]
> This is interesting. From what I understand, if you link
> against cygwin.dll, the software must be released under
> the GPL. Thus, is the licensing debate over? Do you
> have the right to re-license python under the GPL? Or am
> I missing something fundmental here?
[Jason Tishler]
> Clark brings up a valid point. Did I screw up from a licensing point
> of view?
>
> I found the following on the Python web site:
>
> However, we expect that Python 2.0 and later versions, released
> by BeOpen PythonLabs, will be released under a GPL-compatible
> license.
According to CNRI's and BeOpen's lawyers, it was; according to the FSF's Eben
Moglen, it was not.
> IANAL,
Ditto, and I'm worn out trying to divine the FSF's position. Since you're in
no danger of violating *our* license, I'm afraid we're the wrong people to
ask. If you can get a straight answer out of the FSF, more power to you.
> any guidance regarding this matter would be greatly appreciated.
In this specific case, you may be able to cut it short:
http://www.cygwin.com/licensing.html
According to that, they use the GPL, but ammend it according to GPL section
10:
In accordance with section 10 of the GPL, Cygnus permits
programs whose sources are distributed under a license that
complies with the Open Source definition to be linked with
libcygwin.a without libcygwin.a itself causing the resulting
program to be covered by the GNU GPL.
This means that you can port an Open Source(tm) application
to cygwin, and distribute that executable as if it didn't
include a copy of libcygwin.a linked into it. Note that this
does not apply to the cygwin DLL itself. If you distribute a
(possibly modified) version of the DLL you must adhere to the
terms of the GPL, i.e., you must provide sources for the cygwin
DLL.
There's no controversy over whether all Python licenses to date are Open
Source -- they are. There's also no problem from the POV of the *Python*
license if you want to relicense Cygwin Python under the GPL. Fine by us!
The only relevant party with a complaint against you *may* be the FSF.