RE: RE: [avr-chat] µC/avr crypto lib

[Alan Brumley]

Quick question:
Once people have made additions to your library, isn't it locked into GPL?
If you commercially sell the lib to a commercial project, wouldn't it be
violating the terms of the code contributed to your project by others?  Of
course, you could strip out their contributions before selling.


-----Original Message-----
From: address@hidden
[mailto:address@hidden On Behalf Of Bob
Blick
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 4:55 PM
To: address@hidden
Subject: Re: RE: [avr-chat] µC/avr crypto lib


On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:08:44 -0600, "Weddington, Eric"
<address@hidden> said:

> However I see a small problem. According to your wiki, you're using the
> GPLv3 license. Most embedded developers will stay away from the GPL
> license unless there is an exception to allow linking to proprietary code
> without the proprietary code becoming GPL. See, for example, the license
> used for libgcc in the GCC project. AVR-LibC is licensed under the
> modified BSD license, which is a very liberal license and allows the user
> to do anything with the code. This allows users to use the AVR GCC
> toolchain, including the libraries, in commercial products.

I think that is just one point of view. Part of the spirit of GPL is to
further public development. That is why code I release to the public is
released under GPL. I want improvements to it done by others available
to the public.

If I wanted to use this crypto lib in a closed commercial product I
could contact the developer and try to arrange commercial licensing.

BSD and LGPL licenses have their place. They are tilted towards
commercial products full of closed code. Public development is
dead-ended.

If you look at who contributes and who benefits, GPL provides continuity
for education and community development.

Cheerful regards,

Bob

-- 
http://www.fastmail.fm - I mean, what is it about a decent email service?



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