Windows-Packaging

[Bernhard Reiter]

On Freitag, 16. Januar 2009, Bernhard Reiter wrote:
> > >- We need to ship the exact source code, scripts and tools to build each
> > >  specific binary shipped for GNU (L)GPL licensing.
> >
> > As far as i know does the gpl licensing means only to provide the source
> > for a related binary, but it does not make the binary releaser
> > responsible to provide  all required 3rdparty tools.
> >
> > Think about msvc builds  -  We build kde software on windows with msvc
> > express editions, but we don't provide the ide or the platform sdk - in
> > fact ms probably will do not like this
>
> You happen to ask a licensing expert about. In short terms the license
> does require to deliver source for tools and libraries, except when they
> are generally shipped with the operating system. (See below.)

Forgot to attach it, so here we go. I am quoting GNU GPL v2 to show that this 
has been in there for years, GNU LGPLv2, and the v3s have similiar 
conditions.

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html
Section 3 is about that you must make available the "complete corresponding 
machine-readable source code".

| complete source code means all the source code for all modules it contains, 
| plus any associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to 
| control compilation and installation of the executable. 

Note that the simplified view from 1991 was that most operating system
bring their tools with them.

| However, as a  
| special exception, the source code distributed need not include anything 
| that is normally distributed (in either source or binary form) with the 
| major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the operating system on 
| which the executable runs, unless that component itself accompanies the 
| executable.       

So I think not shipping msvc express matches the spirit of this license.

The point why we want the tools to be available: 

> But we also want to make it fairly easy for people
> to rebuild the exact version they are using, so they can only change
> a small thing if they like.

And of course we need to control the tool chain, e.g. for security reasons.

Best,
Bernhard

-- 
Managing Director - Owner: www.intevation.net      (Free Software Company)
Germany Coordinator: fsfeurope.org. Coordinator: www.Kolab-Konsortium.com.
Intevation GmbH, Osnabrück, DE; Amtsgericht Osnabrück, HRB 18998
Geschäftsführer Frank Koormann, Bernhard Reiter, Dr. Jan-Oliver Wagner
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