Open-source licensing (was: XLink library)

[John Cowan]

Simon St.Laurent wrote:

> The library is and will be open source, though at this point I haven't
> firmly decided on a license. (GPL is likely, in some slightly modified
> form.)

I suggest that you avoid the GPL for components, as GPLed components
can only be used to build GPLed applications.  Alternatives are:

	the LGPL at http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu/copyleft/lgpl.html;
	the MPL at http://www.mozilla.org/NPL/MPL-1.0.html;
	the BSD license (aka "James Clark" license)
		at http://www.opensource.org/bsd-license.html
	the public domain.

I favor the last two options for large and small components
respectively.

For information and texts, see http://www.opensource.org .

Also note that modified versions of the GPL are *forbidden* by its
own copyright notice: the GPL is not itself under the GPL, but
under a license that says "anyone may copy, but changes are forbidden."
That is to prevent the proliferation of minutely different versions
of the GPL.

-- 
John Cowan	http://www.ccil.org/~cowan		cowan at ccil.org
	You tollerday donsk?  N.  You tolkatiff scowegian?  Nn.
	You spigotty anglease?  Nnn.  You phonio saxo?  Nnnn.
		Clear all so!  'Tis a Jute.... (Finnegans Wake 16.5)

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