Re: Option 3

On Wed, 23 Mar 2011, Sam Ruby wrote:
> On 03/23/2011 01:55 PM, Ian Hickson wrote:
> > On Wed, 23 Mar 2011, Sam Ruby wrote:
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Indeed. There are non-forking-related restrictions too, e.g. it
> > > > > > doesn't allow use in hardware devices, as far as I can tell.
> > > > > > Lawrence never publicly replied to my e-mail on the subject:
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2011Mar/0209.html
> > > 
> > > The question you posed was:
> > > 
> > > "So can we combine code released under the GPL with a work released
> > > under this license into one larger program?"
> > > 
> > > The answer to that question is
> > > 
> > > "Yes, it is possible to combine code released under the GPL with a work
> > > released under this license into one larger program"
> > 
> > No, the answer is no, as I explained in the paragraphs immediately
> > following the one you quoted.
> 
> The statements "it is possible" and "is it not possible in every case" are not
> in contradictory.

It's the answer to the "is it possible in every case" question that 
determines whether or not the license is compatible. This would be clear 
if you quoted the very next paragraph from the e-mail you are quoting.


> Again, I will point out that you seem to be interpreting the FAQ in a 
> way that the authors clearly do not intend.

We (Google) are not trying to interpret the FAQ at all, only the licenses. 


> > > Meanwhile, nothing in the corner case you believe you have found 
> > > affects any of the use cases that this working group put forward.
> > 
> > It affects GPL compatibility, since it poses an additional 
> > restriction.
> 
> From the original post[1] "This Option 3 license, however, contains no 
> express restrictions on downstream uses".

What matters is what the license says, not what people say about the 
license. And the license quite manifestly _does_ contain express 
restrictions on downstream use, for instance it prevents use in hardware 
and it prevents forking.

-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'

Received on Wednesday, 23 March 2011 18:38:20 UTC