On Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 1:41 PM, Tom Boothby <tomas.boot...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 12:55 AM, Robert Bradshaw > <rober...@math.washington.edu> wrote: > >> I would be extremely >> surprised if any Sage developer morally objects to you licensing this >> output as you wish (though opinions may vary widely as to its >> legality). > > Then let me surprise you. We must have no say over what a user can do > with the output of a Sage script (unless, of course, it's just dumping > Sage source wholesale). To insist otherwise is a grave violation of > the user's freedom to use the software.
This isn't a surprise; you're strongly agreeing with me. The question is whether the GPL allows this (which I see as the unfortunate miss-alignment between the intent and the potential unintended legal implications). BTW, I think there is one case that is entirely clear: 1) User writes sage script. 2) User runs script, producing output that has snippets of the script from (1), but not from Sage itself. 3) User releases *output* under whatever license they want. The GPL can't (yet) even claim to be viral to the script because it only triggers when you release. Things get more complicated when (2) is replaced by 2a) User releases script under license X. 2b) Another person runs the script. 3) This other person release the output under license X (assuming X allows such re-distribution). which is trickier, though I think there are several cases to be made as to why this is totally fine from a legal as well as a moral perspective, including the smallness and functional-restriction of the snippets (fair use), and when/whether a script/worksheet represents a derivative work (for Sage or Mathematica or ...) which is importantly a separable question from the specific restrictions placed on derivative works due to the original work's license. BTW, it may not even be necessary to pull these strings out to a separate file. For example, we claim the set of docstrings in our GPL sources are all CC-SA and publish them as such. - Robert -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sage-support" group. To post to this group, send email to sage-support@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to sage-support+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sage-support?hl=en.
