A few comments

[Ethan Blanton]

Eion Robb spake unto us the following wisdom:
> Ethan Blanton spake unto us the following wisdom:
> > I agree.  In fact, I do not always agree with the GPL, or the
> > restrictions it levies.  However, Pidgin was written under the GPL, by
> > authors who believed that the GPL was the Right License for it, and I
> > believe that, as a current Pidgin supporter, to circumvent that or to
> > assist others in circumventing it is wrong.
> >
> > I certainly believe that, all other things being equal, Free software
> > is better than non-Free software, and that the GPL is grand stab at
> > Getting it Right.
>
> Perhaps libpurple needs a different license?  One that reflects the ideals  
> of the Pidgin developers more?  Or an extension on the GPL to say, "no  
> other software/program/library/toolkit that communicates with libpurple  
> either directly or indirectly through OS calls, for the purpose of the  
> shared use of its functions and data structures, may do so without being  
> 'Free'" with some meaning of 'Free' to be compatible with non-GPL licences  
> that are still in the 'spirit' of Pidgin devels?  If the 'spirit' of the  
> GPL can currently be violated (in a GPL legal way) by making calls through  
> another library, then lets make the licence clear and stop this  
> happening.  It's your code and you shouldn't have to sit back and watch as  
> it's used in ways you don't want it to be legally possibly to be used.

Note that I do *not* believe that the GPL does not represent the
ideals of the Pidgin developers.  I did not mean to imply, by the
above statement, that I object to the terms of the GPL *with respect
to Pidgin* -- I do not.  I believe that the GPL, restrictions and all,
is appropriate for Pidgin.

As has been discussed elsewhere in this same thread, relicensing
Pidgin is infeasible, and many developers would not consent to it even
if it were.

Ethan

-- 
The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws [that have no remedy
for evils].  They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor
determined to commit crimes.
		-- Cesare Beccaria, "On Crimes and Punishments", 1764
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