[sword-devel] Fwd: GPL and other license related questions

[Greg Hellings]

Jonathan,

On Jan 27, 2008 4:19 PM, jonathon <jonathon.blake at gmail.com> wrote:
<snip>

Yes, all of that is true and fine - the GPL satisfies all of those
requirements.  As do others, like the LGPL and similar licenses.

>
> Both the GPL and LGPL allow for commercial distribution.  Or
> redistribution by those who want to take, but not give.  Basically,
> there is nothing in the license used by The Sword Project, that
> prohibits commercial distribution --- selling any of the front ends
> that The Sword Project creates.
>
> AFAIK, e-Sword is the only Bible Study program that has a license that
> explicitly prohibits commercial distribution.

I personally don't, and it doesn't sound like anyone else on the list
does either, object to someone selling versions of the Sword library
or its derivatives.  What we don't want to allow, but licenses in the
vein of the LGPL allow (and I believe the wxWindows license and Python
licenses as well - though I haven't read those), is someone to modify
Sword code or Sword front-end code, and redistribute that as binary
ONLY.  That is the reason the Sword project exists... to keep some
sort of Bible software in the public's grasp that is available both
gratis and libre.  If there are companies that wish to use commercial
software, by all means let them license from Logos or from the author
e-Sword to distribute modules, or from whatever other source they
desire.

But the Sword project is GPL and will probably remain so, because it
protects what Troy and those of us who have helped to contribute to
his work desire to see in our own efforts in this software.

--Greg

>
> xan
>
> jonathon
>
>
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