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Re: pcp updates: lgpl notices, pmlogconf configs

To: Nathan Scott <nathans@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: pcp updates: lgpl notices, pmlogconf configs
From: "Frank Ch. Eigler" <fche@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2015 20:56:26 -0400
Cc: pcp developers <pcp@xxxxxxxxxxx>
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User-agent: Mutt/1.4.2.2i
Hi -


> > [...]
> > Wait a minute.  You're changing the license terms of preexisting
> > source files,
> 
> That's not correct.  

It is certainly facially correct: that's exactly what the per-file
diffs are.  If anyone from the outside had wanted to reuse a part of
one of those source files, this change would affect them.  You may
explain why you believe the change is correct, but nevertheless the
change is real.


> If it helps your understanding of some of the history, note that
> both libraries primary header files stated LGPL all along and the
> top level PCP COPYING file states LGPL.  [...]

Yes, that certainly communicates some intent, which may or may not be
interpreted to as sufficient to overcome the contradictory labeling
elsewhere.


> > in some cases almost a decade-long marked with the GPL
> 
> Yep, some 6 or so years before any involvement you had with the
> project.  [...]

That is irrelevant.


> > and/or QPL.
> 
> (for reference, Qt code is dual commercial/LGPL)

commit b5616d08dfc20d4be8ae1eb427941eaa418cfc0c
src/libpcp_qed/src/qed_colorpicker*: 

  * Copyright (C) 2014 Red Hat.
  * Copyright (C) 1999-2005 Trolltech AS.  All rights reserved.

- * This file may be distributed under the terms of the Q Public License
- * as defined by Trolltech AS of Norway and appearing in the file
- * LICENSE.QPL included in the packaging of this file.
- *
- * This file may be distributed and/or modified under the terms of the
- * GNU General Public License version 2 as published by the Free Software
- * Foundation and appearing in the file LICENSE.GPL included in the
- * packaging of this file.

to 

+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+ * under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published
+ * by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2.1 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.

is no mere tweak.  (By the way, we haven't included LICENSE.QPL in our
source tree.)  Trolltech is a copyright holder there; we cannot speak
for them.


> > Do you have any basis to do so on behalf of all the
> > copyright holders?
> 
> The original intention in this code was to follow the PCP licensing
> policy, which is LGPL for libraries.  I've known the other authors for
> about twenty years so I have a high level of confidence in making this
> license clarification [...]

It would nevertheless be good to do some i-crossing and t-dotting and
get consent / confirmation of your understanding from the parties involved.


- FChE

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