From: Yann E. MORIN <yann.morin.1998@free.fr>
To: buildroot@busybox.net
Subject: [Buildroot] Licensing information
Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2012 00:02:49 +0200 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <201210270002.49578.yann.morin.1998@free.fr> (raw)
Hello All!
In a few packages I've encountered, and for which we may install only part
of the package (eg. only the libs, or the libs and the programs), and those
parts are not under the same licensing terms (but not necesarily conflicting),
there is no way in buildroot to convey such information.
Also, there is no way (AFAICS) to specify a muti-licensed component.
For example, let's look at dtc, the Device Tree Compiler:
- there are two parts in dtc:
- libfdt, dual-licensed GPLv2+/BSD-2c
- dtc (and accompanying tools), licensed GPLv2+
If we only install the library, should we write:
DTC_LICENSE = GPLv2+/BSD-2c # notice this is a single word
or
DTC_LICENSE = GPLv2+ BSD-2c # notice the space-separation
Then, now we also install the programs, should we write:
DTC_LICENSE = GPLv2+/BSD-2c GPLv2+
or
DTC_LICENSE = GPLv2+ BSD-2c
Then, reviewing the licensing information, the user may conclude (wrongly)
that dtc (the package) is dual-licensed GPLv2+ and BSD-2c, and thus decide
to choose the BSD-2c, and not redistribute the dtc package. This would be
bad (TM) in case the dtc programs are installed.
Unfortunately, we have no way to express this kind of multi-licensing cases.
Not that we would want to handle all possibilities either (it would be such
a nightmare), we should at least have a way to draw the user's attention
to such cases.
Here are a few ideas I write as I think of them:
- add a keyword which genarates a warning:
DTC_LICENSE = GPLv2+/BDS2- GPLv2+ WARNING
- allow multi-licensing constructs:
DTC_LICENSE = GPLV2+/BSD-2c GPLv2+
(which would say: one part is dual-licensed GPLv2+/BSD-2c, another
part is licensed GPLv2+)
- add multi-license keywords:
DTC_LICENSE += multi:GPLV2+/BSD-2c GPLv2+
or to be pedantic:
DTC_LICENSE += multi:GPLV2+/BSD-2c single:GPLv2+
- don't care. ;-)
Regards,
Yann E. MORIN.
--
.-----------------.--------------------.------------------.--------------------.
| Yann E. MORIN | Real-Time Embedded | /"\ ASCII RIBBON | Erics' conspiracy: |
| +33 662 376 056 | Software Designer | \ / CAMPAIGN | ___ |
| +33 223 225 172 `------------.-------: X AGAINST | \e/ There is no |
| http://ymorin.is-a-geek.org/ | _/*\_ | / \ HTML MAIL | v conspiracy. |
'------------------------------^-------^------------------^--------------------'
reply other threads:[~2012-10-26 22:02 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: [no followups] expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed
Reply instructions:
You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:
* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
and reply-to-all from there: mbox
Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style
* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
switches of git-send-email(1):
git send-email \
--in-reply-to=201210270002.49578.yann.morin.1998@free.fr \
--to=yann.morin.1998@free.fr \
--cc=buildroot@busybox.net \
/path/to/YOUR_REPLY
https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html
* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line
before the message body.
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox