On 2/21/07, Abhijit Menon-Sen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
At 2007-02-22 12:49:13 +0530, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Why can't they write their own anyway ? Unless it is not POP3 at all
> and POP3 is a placeholder
(Yes, it's a placeholder for an entirely non-trivial program.)
#include <ianal.h>
It is obvious that the changes you made to the GPL-ed POP3 (or
whatever) software needs to be given back to the original author (or
made available). The question of what happens with your other piece of
software is trickier (which is why you asked the question in the first
place).
IMO, the question revolves around the interface between the GPL-ed
software and the non-GPL-ed one. If your software talks to the GPL-ed
software over tcp/udp, then your software is not infected. There are
several precedents for such an interface not being infective - If I
used a GPL-ed MUA, my POP/IMAP server does not get infected with the
client's GPL. And vice-versa.
If, however, your software talks to the GPL-ed software through an API
(ergo, libraries compiled or linked into your software), then your
software becomes infected.
Thaths
--
Homer: He has all the money in the world, but there's one thing he can't buy.
Marge: What's that?
Homer: (pause) A dinosaur.
-- Homer J. Simpson
Sudhakar Chandra Slacker Without Borders
