Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] GNU Radio and GPL licensing issues (again)

[Jeff Brower]

Michael-

Really, really good questions, well formulated.  I'm very interested to see the
answers -- or advice -- you receive on the forum.

-Jeff


Michael Dickens wrote:
> 
> This is similar to the original discussion from 2004; see, e.g.:
> < http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/discuss-gnuradio/2004-11/
> msg00086.html >
> 
> My dissertation will involve using GNU Radio in some capacity - e.g.,
> through a "compatibility layer" into the code that I'm writing.  The
> details of my dissertation aren't relevant to this discussion.  The
> "compatibility layer" file (or set of files) will be the only
> programming that includes GNU Radio-specific programming; all of the
> rest of the programming for my dissertation will be of my own
> development.  The "compatibility layer" is for convenience - to make
> use of certain, but not all, GNU Radio signal processing blocks (why
> reinvent a perfectly good wheel?) and certain other features provided
> by GNU Radio - but is not required for functionality of the rest of
> the programming.
> 
> I understand from the afore-mentioned discussion, as well as from
> reading the GPLv3, that my "compatibility layer" programming -must-
> be GPL'd in order to comply with the original license of GNU Radio
> (since it will use "#include <some gr header>" and hence forms a
> "larger work").
> 
> Can my "compatibility layer" be LGPL'd, or must the license be GPL to
> match that of GNU Radio?
> 
> Does the rest of my programming -have- to be GPL'd, because it -can-
> (but is not -required to-) make use of my "compatibility
> layer" (which must be GPL'd somehow), which in turn makes use of GNU
> Radio?
> 
> In order for me to be able to choose my dissertation code's license
> (which might end up being GPL; I haven't decided), do I need to
> further separate the programming between my "compatibility layer" and
> the rest of the code, e.g., via a pipe or socket (such that these 2
> parts can be 'exec'd separately)?
> 
> In my reading of the GPL-FAQ, it seems like most of the answers are
> "it depends" ... thus I'm hoping that someone here might have more
> precise knowledge.
> 
> Thanks in advance for any advice! - MLD
> 
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