[Project-managers] editing external codes

[Stefan Vigerske]

Hi,

> In one of the examples in my project DECOMP, I use a GPL licensed code (Cliquer). In my INSTALL, I provide the user the option to download and link with it or not (and give them www). It works fine with unix flavors, but Cliquer was never written to run on Windows. I can fix the Cliquer code to compile in Windows with a few ifdef's. 
> 
> But, now how does this work? I know I am not suppose to distribute Cliquer via svn. If so, I could just provide my "adjusted" Cliquer. 

If you distribute code via svn, then you have to put is unter the CPL 
(or at least something compatible). I don't know if this will be ok in 
your case, i.e., if the GPL is compatible with the CPL.

> I guess, this is a general question -- how do I distribute derivatives of other external codes to be used with my COIN project?

I think you have seen the ThirdParty directory in some of the projects 
(like Ipopt), which is used to store third-party-code like ASL, Lapack, 
Blas, or MUMPS. Here, the code is not distributed with COIN, but a 
script is provided that make it easier for the user to download the code 
by its own (or at least a README that tells the user what todo). Then it 
is on the user to check whether the third-party-code-licence is ok for 
him (which is not always trivial, e.g., for HSL).

For some packages, like MUMPS or GLPK (in GAMSlinks/ThirdParty) there 
are also changes on the third-party-code necessary that fix some known bugs.
For MUMPS, Andreas put some sed commands that correct one line in the 
code after it is downloaded with the get.MUMPS script.
For GLPK, I put a patch file that patches the code after it is 
downloaded, or the user can patch is by themselve.
Maybe you can do something similar in your case.

Best,
Stefan

-- 
Stefan Vigerske
Humboldt University Berlin, Numerical Mathematics
http://www.math.hu-berlin.de/~stefan