[sword-devel] Question about Public Domain

[Tonny Kohar]

Hi,

On Mon, Mar 16, 2009 at 10:12 PM, DM Smith <dmsmith at crosswire.org> wrote:

> Alkitab Bible Study is public domain and clearly states it does not pertain
> to any parts of JSword or any other third party library that JSword depends
> upon. We discussed this on jsword-devel. It was a decision of the JSword
> development team not to make a big deal out of it. We'd like to keep it that
> way; that is, not a big deal for Alkitab. (At this point, I think Tonny
> would go GPL, if we asked him to.)
>

Yes, it was discussed before on the JSword mailing list and thank to
the JSword development team that they are going easy and make it
simple.

Regarding the licensing question for JSword project (not Sword
project), JSword is divided into two license
- JSword core/base is under LGPL
- BibleDesktop the front end is GPL

And I did not use any BibleDesktop (GPL things), I rewrite/reimplement
things. But for the JSword Core (LGPL) I use it as it is.
And for I really needed to use BibleDesktop (GPL part) I have 2 choices
- make it GPL as well
- or wrap the things into plugins, and make sure the plugins is
licensed under GPL, then the application eg: Alkitab is not depending
on the plugins, but the plugins is dependend on Alkitab. Something
like you can write a plugins for Microsoft Office/Internet Explorer
and license the plugin under GPL, but it won't turnt he original
application (Ms Office/Internet Explorer) into GPL.

And I put the notice, that the Public Domain is not the whole things,
it is only for the code I write (Alkitab), but the library that I use
is licensed under its own license.

And my purpose also to spread the Word using the skill I have been
given (writing software), so I prefer very liberal license (eg:
PD/BSD/Apache Style) rather than the GPL (have some undesired
restriction on regarding the linking). So the purpose is to spread the
Word, and if licensing become problem and hindering my main objective
then I will not hesitate to turn it into GPL.. But as long as I can
maintain my part to be PD, then so be it (because I think it is better
than GPL). And once again thanks to JSword teams they does not make
things complex.

I choose PD because it is very simple licensing, do whatever you like
eg: do whatever God lead you to do with these application eg:
distribute, sell, modifcation, anything. People who distribute it
(spread the Word) does not fall into must providing the source if
someone ask and do not need to read complicated licensing things,
that's why I choose PD. The GPL part I do not like is that the license
require anybody who distribute must provide a source when someone ask,
which my be inconvenience for some rural area (non technical/computer
illiterate) ministry. Rural ministry sometime even does not have
internet access and a lot of preachers certainly is not a programmer.
And it will add more burden (legally) for them to provide the source
when they are distribute the application.

Cheers
Tonny Kohar
--
Alkitab Bible Study
imagine, design, create ...
http://www.kiyut.com