[rekonq] Fwd: Packaging / License

[kaboon]

On Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 3:49 PM, Andrea Diamantini<adjam7 at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Friday 03 July 2009 09:10:46 kaboon wrote:
>> Hi Guys,
>>
>> I'm trying to get rekonq as a package into Fedora and during review I
>> stumbled into this issue:
>>
>> * The source files claim GPLv2+ but the COPYING file says GPLv3. This
>> software cannot be GPLv3 because it links to kdebase-workspace which is
>> GPLv2. GPLv2 and GPLv3 don't go very well together. See:
>>    http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Licensing#GPL_Compatibility_Matrix
>> The license tag should be GPLv2+ but please ask upstream and verify this.
>> Also, please don't package the false COPYING file.
>>
>> Now I'm trying to figure out what to do and what to use.
>>
>> Any input would be greatly appreciated. :)
>
> Eelko, from now on you are our licenses expert!!!
>
> If I understood it well, the matter is linking with kdebase-workspace.
> To release in GPLv3 we have to remove that, to maintain it we need to move to
> GPLv2+.
> Are there any other troubles & motivations to prefer one of these 2 licenses?
>
> --
> Andrea Diamantini,
> rekonq project
> WEB: http://rekonq.sourceforge.net
> IRC: adjam_AT_freenode
> GPG Fingerprint: 57DE 8E32 7D1A 0E16 AA52 59D8 84F9 3ECD DBF9 730F
>
> _______________________________________________
> rekonq mailing list
> rekonq at kde.org
> https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/rekonq
>

Please don't call me an expert since I was not the one who has pointed
this out. I don't think I would have discovered this myself. :)

To be really honest I wouldn't know what the exact impact on the
project would be if you change the license. I guess that if you'd like
to link again kdebase-workspace you *have* to change it. Unless you
are linking against kdebase-workspace GPLv3 specific parts (as I've
just been explained - very shortly).

Here's a part of the log:

[20:45] <oget> Kaboon: I really have not more to say. GPLv3 software
can't link to GPLv2 software
[20:46] <oget> Kaboon: He can make it GPLv2+ (GPL version 2 or later)
</irrelevant stuff>
[20:53] <Kevin_Kofler> It depends what they're linking to from
kdebase-workspace.
[20:54] <Kevin_Kofler> Most stuff should allow v3 by now.

Again, I'm not really that into licenses. It would be nice if we could
get an real opinion / expert in here judging on the case. :)

--
Eelko Berkenpies
http://blog.berkenpies.nl/