[plug] KDE licence (was Debian was Mandrake)

Greg Mildenhall greg at networx.net.au
Mon Feb 28 17:24:15 WST 2000


On Mon, 28 Feb 2000, Christian wrote:
> Greg Mildenhall wrote:
> > OK, the text from http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/license-list.html
> > one final time.
> > # You can resolve the conflict for your program by adding a notice like
> > # this to it:
> > #        As a special exception, you have permission to link this program
> > #        with the Qt library and distribute executables, as long as you
> > #        follow the requirements of the GNU GPL in regard to all of the
> > #        software in the executable aside from Qt.
> > # You can do this, legally, if you are the copyright holder for the
> > # program. Add it in the source files, after the notice that says the
> > # program is covered by the GNU GPL.
> > Where it says "as a special exception", that means the license is no
> > longer the GPL. It is the GPL _with_special_exceptions_.
> This is correct.  I hadn't actually read the document quoted above but I
> remember it being discussed around the time when Debian ditched KDE from
> their distribution because of the license problem.  The solution
> proposed at that time on various news sites and discussion groups was as
> stated above.

Yep, and it is a perfectly valid solution, in the case where
  "you are the copyright holder for the program"
as stated in the above #ed text. The problem is that KDE uses code for
which the KDE team are not the copyright holder. Initially, they said they
would remove the code at once. Then they said they would remove it for
2.0. Now it seems they think it will take longer. It _is_ being removed,
if slowly, and we live in hope that one day they will be 100% legal. The
problem is, the more they delay, the more respect and trust they lose from
the Free Software community.

-Greg




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