From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: "Nicholas Knight" Subject: Re: Elks Distribution Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 06:30:14 -0700 Sender: linux-8086-owner@vger.kernel.org Message-ID: <006501c204b9$77c97ef0$6407070a@blue> References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Return-path: List-Id: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: Stefan de Konink , Neil Holmes Cc: Linux 8086 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stefan de Konink" To: "Neil Holmes" Cc: "Linux 8086" Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2002 4:22 PM Subject: Re: Elks Distribution > I think we have to make a notice: (IANAL) As far as I can tell, the current MINIX license (the one you just posted) is essentialy identicle in every respect but precise wording to what is now known genericaly as the "New", "Modified", or "Revised" BSD License. Essentialy it just removes clause #3 (the Advertising Clause). A good example is the X11 license: http://www.x.org/terms.htm This license is fully compatible with the GPL (and pretty much every other software license ever used...). Meaning you can use the code with GPL'd code with no problems. The GPL has the same restrictions as this license, in that it, too, requires the copyright notices to remain intact. If you'd like in-practice examples, check any of a large number of peices of GPL'd software. I believe the Linux kernel itself includes code licensed under the revised BSD license. In short: You can use any code from MINIX as much as you want. Just keep the copyright notices intact (and possibly add them, if neccisary), just as the GPL requires. This is pretty much the entire point of BSD-ish licenses, do whatever the heck you want with the code as long as credit is given where due. GNU's license list: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html You'll find X11 and modified BSD license, as well as the Expat (sometimes called "MIT") License, listed under "GPL-Compatible, Free Software Licenses". The original BSD License is viewable here: http://www.freebsd.org/copyright/license.html As you can see, it includes clause #3, this is incompatible with the GPL because the GPL does not include that restriction, and the GPL forbids additional restrictions. The MINIX license does not have this clause.