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On Thursday 09 November 2006 11:41, Rajesh Prakasam wrote:

Hi List,

I am an Free Software Evangelist. I have a query which needs some clarification. Here goes the situation.

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I have software X.1 which is GPL. I find it pretty useful and use it in the development of Software A, by way of just using the binary of software X.1. When I commercially release software A, I also release Software X.1 along with its GPL, but my Software A isn't GPL....meaning anything NON-GPL. In this circumstance,

Commercial has nothing to do with free or non-free. I presume you mean that software A is proprietary. If that is the case, the GPL explicitly permits you to bundle GPL software along with non-GPL software for distribution purposes. However, if you are only providing binaries of your GPL software X, you also have to make an offer to provide sources for it. You do not need to offer source for software A.

The situation changes if you compile or link your software A against software X. If you do that, then the GPL forces software A to be GPL too.

suppose Software X, from version X.5 decides to go NON-GPL, what are the implications that I have for Software X.1 that I already bundle with Software A.

Software X.1 continue to remain GPL. License revocation is currently one area I'm not too clear about; however if you distributed X.1 under the GPL I would presume that it continues to remain GPL.

Please also understand that in order to make software X.5 non-GPL you would have to get consent from each developer who has contributed even one line of code to X between X.1 and X.5. This is one of the reasons why it's practically impossible to make the Linux kernel proprietary -- if even one person who has contributed code to the kernel refuses, the license cannot be changed.

There are a couple of questions.

a) Can this situation of a GPL software moving towards a non-GPL license over the time happen...???

See above. Again, the simple act of distribution of a GPL software with a non-GPL software has no impact on either of them, and will not lead to any change of license.

b) Does the older GPL version X.1 also get affected by changes to version X.5...(rephrasing it )...Is a version of a software GPL released, GPL for ever or is it subject to change?

Good question. Perhaps someone with a more legal mind can answer that one.

I have been using Free Software mostly on personal basis, but now faced with a business decision to make, hence consulting the authority...:-)

So what's the business decision to be made, whether you can write proprietary software that uses an existing GPL package and distribute both together?

- -- Raju - -- Raj Mathur            raju@kandalaya.org   http://kandalaya.org/        GPG: 78D4 FC67 367F 40E2 0DD5  0FEF C968 D0EF CC68 D17F                       It is the mind that moves