[ODE] Suggest a type of Licence for GIMPACT

[Jean de Largentaye]

On 10/26/06, Vrej Melkonian <vmelkon at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> --- gl <gl at ntlworld.com> wrote:
>
> > >> I think that LGPL is compatible with ODE BSD
> > licence.
> >
> > No, it isn't.  Unlike the LGPL, the BSD license has
> > no major restriction on
> > how the code is used, eg. compiling into the
> > executable is allowed without
> > needing to publish the entire .exe sources,
> > modifications are allowed
> > without publishing them etc.
> >
> > It would be great if you would allow the BSD license
> > for your code, it
> > sounds real useful.
> > --
> > gl
>
> I thought LGPL allowed you to keep your source close
> even when you made a modification and you don't need
> to open your own code either.
> You must be thinking of GPL. If any GPL is used,
> everything else using it must become GPL, (dll or
> whatever as well)
>

LGPL allows you to use a open-source library linked to a closed-source program.
You cannot use GPL code inside closed code at all. It's viral in that,
if you want to use GPL code, the rest of your code has to be GPL too.
LGPL is basically the same as GPL, except it isn't viral, ie it won't
affect the license on the rest of your program. In this way, you may
use LGPL code inside your closed-source program. This is most useful
for libraries, for which this is a typical usage (I think of the first
L as meaning "Library").
Here's the important part: it does keep the GPL aspect in that any
changes to LGPL code *must* be published. If you had to modify the
LGPL code to make it work with your application, you have to publish
that. Even if it reveals stuff about your application :P
Jason explained the benefit of BSD over LGPL (or vice-versa, depending
on your priorities ;) quite well: you can't use LGPL code on, say, the
PS3, if you have to modify the LGPL code for it to work, because
you're bound by an NDA when developping for the PS3.  Thus you either
can't publish the modifications to the LGPL library (violating the
LGPL, following the PS3 NDA), or you're indirectly violating the NDA
by publishing changes you made to the LGPL because of the PS3 (thus
indirectly revealing info about the PS3 hardware/software).

Hope This Helps,

John