On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 06:23:13PM -0400, Robert Dewar wrote: > Joe Buck wrote: > >On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 02:54:26PM +0100, Joern Rennecke wrote: > >>Couldn't the plugin interface require a copyrighted passphrase to be > >>sent by the plugin when it registeres, and the passphrase can then > >>be licensed under the GPL. > > > >Please, let's stop this. > > > > Actually the above is a technical question, and the answer is > yes, it would be possible to have the plugin interface require > a copyrighted passphrase from a purely technical point of view, > but this is GPL'ed code, so presymabvly this could be removed.
But again, because it is GPL'ed code, people can already add any plugin interface they like to gcc. The only control the FSF has is in what interface goes in the official version. And IIUC they have refused so far to allow a plugin interface there because not having it in the official FSF gcc is still considered a bit of a barrier to distribute proprietary plugins. That same barrier would be maintained if the official FSF gcc only acepts plugins that are GPLed. I'm not sure if legally a passphrase can actually grant a license over the plugin that emits it (given the right wording), but at least it could be copyrighted and thus subject to its own license.
