Fwd: EQO messenger

[Ethan Blanton]

Phil Hannent spake unto us the following wisdom:
> Not wanting to stir up a hornets nest or anything but just before
> Christmas there was talk of creating a Skype conduit for libPurple using a
> socket to bypass the GPL legal clauses that would prevent linking.
> 
> If somebody created a mobile Java application that fed to a server that
> ran libpurple as a daemon/service, would that fall under the same clause?

First of all, as the discussion before revealed, there really isn't
consensus on this matter.

Second, as that discussion also included, it depends on what the
daemon/service *looks* like.  If the service is just a remote
procedure-style API (as the D-Bus service for Skype is, or the
libpurple D-Bus service), it would fall under this clause.  If,
however, it is an IM-like protocol or other more abstract protocol
behind which libpurple does a translation to the protocols spoken by
the various IM networks, then it would be OK.  As an example, think
about Jabber transports; these are quite clearly a translation of one
abstract IM protocol to another abstract IM protocol, and not a remote
API for a particular IM protocol implementation.

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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