:: [DNG] A problem with a license
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Autor: KatolaZ
Data:  
Para: dng
Assunto: [DNG] A problem with a license
DR D1Rs,

yesterday I was reviewing a new package made by Daniel Abrecht (DPA),
a little library that implements the sd_journal_* functions by
redirecting the calls to syslog. The project can be found here:

https://git.devuan.org/DPA/sd_journal_shim

This would allow to avoid to link against libsystemd0 if the program
wants just to use systemd logging facilities.

I was about to move it under devuan-packages to build it for
experimental, but I noticed that the License (an almost regular
Expat/MIT license, for the rest) contained an additional clause:

"This software shall not be used to encourage others to use the
systemd journal API, or any of it's sd_journal_* functions."

so I immediately held my horses. My main complaint here is that this
clause makes the software non compliant with freedom 0 (the freedom to
use the software for whatever aim and task), so technically speaking
the package is not free-software, and cannot go in Devuan/main. Aside
from that, that clause makes the library GPL-incompatible, which would
undermine the good intentions of DPA. making the library practically
useless (unless the programs linking it are not GPL).

In a word, I would not agree to include this package in Devuan/main,
unless that clause is removed. But just for the sake of clarity (and
because I think this can create a nasty precedent) I thought it was
good to ask here.

Please, please, please: let's avoid to tranform this in a flame. The
thing is that Devuan/main should include only free-software, and that
clause makes the package non-compliant with the basic freedom 0. We
would like suggestions as of whether the clause should be removed or
the package should go in Devuan/non-free (I can't see any other5B
alternative).

HND

KatolaZ

-- 
[ ~.,_  Enzo Nicosia aka KatolaZ - GLUGCT -- Freaknet Medialab  ]  
[     "+.  katolaz [at] freaknet.org --- katolaz [at] yahoo.it  ]
[       @)   http://kalos.mine.nu ---  Devuan GNU + Linux User  ]
[     @@)  http://maths.qmul.ac.uk/~vnicosia --  GPG: 0B5F062F  ] 
[ (@@@)  Twitter: @KatolaZ - skype: katolaz -- github: KatolaZ  ]