[XBoard-devel] License matters

[h.g. muller]

I have a question on what we can bundle with WinBoard in an installer
package, and what not.

I noticed that the previous installer package (for 4.2.7b) we included
Crafty. Now Crafty, although open source, is not GPL'd, and in fact
has a license that is incompatible with the GPL. Isn't it a violation of
the GPL to bundle software that puts restrictions on the use of its code
together with WinBoard?

If not, then how about bundling it with software that is not open source
at all?

And how about Chess fonts? There are many fonts listed as "freeware"
on the site http://www.enpassant.dk/chess/fonteng.htm . Can such
freeware be included? The Chess-font downloads are only 20-30 KB,
and if an installer is good for anything, it is good for making sure any
fonts are properly installed. How about a font of that is said to be
"free for all non-commercil purposes", such as the font at
http://www.kaiwan.hk/xqfont/english/index.htm#notes ? I suppose we
can bundle that with GPL stuff, as a font is not a program, and the
concept of "surce code" does not apply to a font. But is it legal to just
go ahead and do it, or would we need (signed) permission from the
creator of the font anyway?

H.G.