[Savannah-hackers] Re: PHP4 license

[James Michael DuPont]

--- Mathieu Roy <address@hidden> wrote:
> Hugo Gayosso <address@hidden> said:
> 
> > James Michael DuPont <address@hidden> writes:
> > 
> > > Ok, Thank you for your advice. I have followed this and am in
> > > contact already with the FSF about this isssue.
> > > 
> > > I was asking a general question, but the relevance is really to
> the
> > > Savannah project.
> > > 
> > > There are some (let them remain unnamed) people trying to paint
> the
> > > GPLEd Sourceforge code with an LGPL coat of paint, so the that
> they
> > > may link in non-free software into the distribution, or even sell
> > > non-free additions to the code.
> > > 
> > > My question is really directed towards that activitity and in
> > > specific,
> > > 
> > > can a user make a non-free php plug in and distributed specific
> > > querys about the sf database structure, and still remain
> separate?
> > 
> > Does any of the savannah-hackers team members know the answer for
> > this?
> 
> If I correctly understand, my answer would be positive. SF update a
> database. Another software can gather this data using SQL commands
> and
> directly reedit those data.
> Basically, it's just like if you were creating a file with Gnumeric
> and then edit it with a proprietary software like MS Excel.
> 
> But if the second software is technically-speaking a "plug in", which
> mean it relies on SF functions, it's a license violation. What means
> painting the GPL code by LGPL coat of paint; creating functions like
> NEW_LGPL_this_function(SF_GPL_this_function($args)); ? I do not think
> it's legal. If so, it would be a GPL hole.

Basically, this person has done both.
1. Extracted the data from the sourceforge database into their own
database.
2. Modified the sourceforge code to attempt to allow non-free code to
link int.
3. Tried to include non-free code (jpgraph) into the GPLed application,
or at least links to it.

Here is the cvs web path of two important changes :
http://savannah.nongnu.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs/gforge/gforge/lgpl/lgplpre.php
http://savannah.nongnu.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs/gforge/gforge/etc/config.php

Following are the details of the  modifications : 

http://savannah.nongnu.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs/gforge/gforge/etc/config.php

Revision 1.1 Sat Feb 8 19:44:39 2003 UTC (38 hours, 57 minutes ago) by
bigdisk 
adding basic lgpl infrastructure
---------------------------------------------------------------------
<?php
/*
        To use LGPL-infrastructure, copy variables
        from your /etc/gforge/local.inc file
*/
[SNIP]
/*
        JPGRAPH Package
*/
$sys_path_to_jpgraph='/path/to/jpgraph/';
[SNIP]
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Here he contains the links to non-free software jpgraph in the GPLEd
savannah. Also he has the instructions for making "LGPLED code"

here is the other change :
http://savannah.nongnu.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs/gforge/gforge/lgpl/lgplpre.php?rev=1.1&content-type=text/vnd.viewcvs-markup
File: [Sources] / gforge / gforge / lgpl / lgplpre.php (download) 
Revision: 1.1, Sat Feb 8 19:44:39 2003 UTC (39 hours, 1 minute ago) by
bigdisk 
adding basic lgpl infrastructure
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<?php
/**
 *  lgplpre.php - allows non-free software to be linked safely to
GForge
 *
 *  THIS FILE IS RELEASED UNDER THE LGPL
 *
 *  ANY MODIFICATIONS MUST BE ALSO RELEASED UNDER LGPL
 *
 */
require_once('/etc/gforge/config.php');
require_once('lgpl/database-pgsql.php');
require_once('lgpl/user.php');
require_once('lgpl/misc.php');
require_once('lgpl/CoreObject.class');
db_connect();
?>


=====
James Michael DuPont
http://introspector.sourceforge.net/

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