26 Jul
2009
26 Jul
'09
5:14 a.m.
On Sun, 2009-07-26 at 01:20 +0200, Arnold Krille wrote:
Hi,
On Sunday 26 July 2009 00:14:45 Sampo Savolainen wrote:
True, if they have done any modifications to that "external" part. If
it's only using it (jmusic?) as a library, the license of the library
shouldn't affect the main software. But this has always been a hot topic
with GPL: how to link dynamic / static and how does linking affect the
license of the linkee.
The idea behind GPL is that if someone else
modifies the code and
redistributes this work, he must provide the code (under the same
license) for anyone receiving the software. That is the point of the
license.
The main point I remembered from the last thread with "Impro-Visor" in the
title: It uses gpl software itself. Which means that it has to publish the
modifications of that part at least. And as the software is GPL licensed, the source _has_
to be made available at
least on request by ways equally convinient as the binaries (afaik this ruling
in the gpl-text wants to prevent that requests for the source-code have to be
written on 200$ notes or that the >1million lines of code are sent via fax or
snail-mail).
There is no statement about GPL on the Impro-visor site nor could I find
such a statement in the archive.org copies of previous pages. Wikipedia
states it's GPL as does http://www.softsynth.com/links/java_music.html
but .. has the copyright holder(s) ever declared it as GPL? Furthermore,
as I said in my previous post: the copyright holders are free to stop
using GPL. You may fork if you receive GPL licensed source from the
authors or from a previous licensee (someone who made a copy while it
was under GPL with the licenses intact etc.). You however may not fork
it based on a disassembled code not released under GPL.
Maybe I've missed something crucial in this discussion, so I'll ask the
stupid question (directed towards Raymond):
Was the impro-visor version 3.99 released under GPL?
.. or
Are you assuming the whole of Impro-visor is subject to GPL as it has
violated the GPL of jmusic?
Sampo