GPL Violation

[Peter Saint-Andre]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

On 9/28/09 11:32 AM, Marc Seiler wrote:
> On Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 1:06 PM, Jeff Sadowski <jeff.sadowski at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I would think you would maybe want to use some closed source apps
>> (like some OCR program for maybe doing captcha for you, like for the
>> yahoo rooms) with a plugin through pidgin. That same stipulation makes
>> it impossible to do, right? Or could you get around it some how?
>>
>> Or maybe a closed source protocol(like for some sort of unreleased
>> encryption) for an IM that would also fit the same fate, right?
>> (I would think things like this exist and I am curious that is the
>> only reason I ask)
> 
> Well the skype plugin itself is open and the source code is available
> so the plugin does not violate like the mebeam plugin. If it was like
> that pretty much every protocol but xmpp iirc would be in jeopardy.
> You have to understand that regardless of if the protocol itself is
> closed source and violates the gpl doesn't matter as long as the
> plugin itself being used is open and doesn't violate the gpl. Like I
> said pretty much every protocol used in pidgin is a closed source
> backwards engineered protocols.

A point of clarification: protocols are not "open source" or "closed
source", because IMHO the term "source code" refers to software and not
protocol specifications (yes, I have had long philosophical discussions
about this on the debial-legal list, but I shall spare you the details
here).  Let's not try to paint everything with the same brush. :)

Peter

- --
Peter Saint-Andre
https://stpeter.im/


-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.8 (Darwin)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/

iEYEARECAAYFAkrA9OIACgkQNL8k5A2w/vwVkwCgsjkR8gJnn4wiY/d+fVdzGVx6
H2IAoPlp28f3s9UQUxbgu8UXdYEnPMjB
=Bazp
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----