[Coin-discuss] Open-source Modeling Languages

[Kipp Martin]

Hi Michal:

> 
> I am not a lawyer either, so please correct me if I am wrong:
> 
> Since CPL is very generous about the usage of the code, the authors of 
> GLPK could indeed include any CPL-licensed code into GLPK and distribute 
> the whole package further under GPL - both as a source and as a binary 
> (+ access to source, as GPL requires).

Good point. I think this would take care of Brian's question. Can 
someone verify this true?

Thanks Michal!




> 
> On the other hand, if any COIN-OR project wanted to use some GPL'ed code 
> (such as a part of GLPK), the whole package would have to switch to GPL. 
>  (This is one of the main features of GPL license, based on the idea 
> that this way the open source (read GPL) will spread and eventually 
> conquer the world - while people from the "other site" call it a "viral" 
> license.)
> This is why some of the previous emails mentioned that we would have to 
> ask very nicely the authors of GLPK to allow dual licensing, i.e. to 
> release GLPK under both GPL and CPL - though I am pretty sure they won't 
> do it, for the above reason.
> 
> On the other hand, it is important to remember that all these licences 
> are about re-distribution of the code. You as a user can freely mix 
> COIN-OR and GLPK code, as long as you do not distribute the code 
> further. This is why some of the COIN-OR codes have the "Third Party" 
> bit, including only scripts to download libraries that are under 
> licenses that are not CPL-compatible. This way, the user can download 
> the libraries (and COIN is safe, since they do not distribute them) and 
> then it is up to the user to adhere to all the licenses involved.
> 
> 
> Hope this helped.
> 
> Regards,
> Michal
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Coin-discuss mailing list
> Coin-discuss at list.coin-or.org
> http://list.coin-or.org/mailman/listinfo/coin-discuss


-- 
Kipp Martin
Professor of Operations Research
and Computing Technology
Graduate School of Business
University of Chicago
5807 South Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
773-702-7456
kipp.martin at chicagogsb.edu
http://gsbkip.chicagogsb.edu
http://www.coin-or.org