On Wed, Nov 6, 2019 at 9:56 AM Zelphir Kaltstahl <zelphirkaltst...@posteo.de> wrote:
> I think in this case, it might be a good idea to make sure, that > guile-json runs on all Schemes implementing a standard level and keep it > free software, to avoid the problem of people grabbing it and making it > proprietary software. > Lots of people who are quite committed to free and open source software don't actually think that's a problem. There are two traditional arguments in favor of putting libraries under the GPL: 1) "Block embrace, extend, and extinguish": the proprietary version gets all the new and sexy features while the original FLOSS version languishes. I don't think this is much of a problem for an implementation controlled by a stable specification like a SRFI: new features will be non-conforming features. 2) "Benefit GPLed programs": if a library is GPLed, it supposedly gives the advantages of using that library only to GPLed applications. That was the explicit reason for making readline a GPL library, and it did make CLISP GPL-licensed; similarly with the Objective-C front end to gcc. I think history shows that this doesn't work very well in the long run: rather than accepting the GPL, a lot of duplicative effort was put into libedit/editline, which provides the same user-visible functions (but no longer has a readline-compatible interface). One of the purposes of FLOSS is to try to *prevent* duplicated effort. If it is that standard conform, it would hopefully require no effort to use > the library in other Schemes. Then the only obstacle would be finding the > repository and downloading the code. > That could be said of any license. Whether or not a GPLed JSON library requires the Scheme implementation to be itself GPL depends on the implementation, but certainly a stand-alone *application* that uses it would have to be. > How could the dual license work, so that we still make sure, that > guile-json can only be used as free software? > You can't. If blocking proprietary free-riding is more important than widespread use across different Schemes (the goal of the SRFIs and all standardization efforts), then the GPL is the license of choice. John Cowan http://vrici.lojban.org/~cowan co...@ccil.org And through this revolting graveyard of the universe the muffled, maddening beating of drums, and thin, monotonous whine of blasphemous flutes from inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond Time; the detestable pounding and piping whereunto dance slowly, awkwardly, and absurdly the gigantic tenebrous ultimate gods --the blind, voiceless, mindless gargoyles whose soul is Nyarlathotep. (Lovecraft)
