[LAU] GPL vs GPLv3

[Robin Gareus]

On 06/10/2010 03:32 PM, Chris Cannam wrote:
> On Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 2:12 PM, Robin Gareus <robin at gareus.org> wrote:
>> A common scenario these days is that GPLv3 is incompatible with the
>> iPhone-app store, while GPLv2 is not.
> 
> Why do you say that?  

I know a couple of iphone-devs who do that regularly and say it's
perfectly OK [to use GPLv2] as long as you provide the source on request.

I've just launched a google-search (there goes another wasted 30 mins)
and found that it's indeed a gray area.

> My impression was that section 6 of the GPLv2
> made it incompatible with the App Store already.

indeed:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/more-about-the-app-store-gpl-enforcement

and section 3 of GPLv2 causes a 2nd problem:  "You may copy and
distribute the Program" - In case of the app-store it's only a
third-party (Apple's "App Store"), who is allowed to distribute it.

Apparently there are some tricks or workarounds around those:
eg. embed the source-code in your app (for section 6) and [also]
distribute it by other means than the app-store (for section 3).
At least that's what some students here do. OTOH you might be breaking
some Apple license requirements on the way..

NTL, there's apparently [still] a whole lot of GPL'ed apps in the
apps-store that have not been blocked or removed.

Anyway this is getting fairly OT and I don't even own an iPhone.

back to work,
robin