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CZ-NIC / jetconf

GNU General Public License v3.0
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Confused by Licence #10

Open HRogge opened 4 years ago

HRogge commented 4 years ago

Hi,

I am a little bit confused how to apply the GPLv3 licence to a backend connected to jetconf. Jetconf itself is GPL, that is clear... but the backend does NOT link to jetconf, but is loaded from jetconf by some configuration file.

Does this mean the backend still needs to be GPLv3 or not?

I would have expected jetconf to be LGPLv3 and then to be used from a "main program" that instantiate a RESTconf server (and supply the backend via parameters).

llhotka commented 4 years ago

Do you want to distribute the backend? If so, in what form?

If you don't want to distribute ("convey") it, then you can do whatever you want, GPLv3 explicitly permits it.

HRogge commented 4 years ago

We are a research institute and sometimes have to give out demonstrators to third parties for testing... I think our legal department will get a stroke if we put this stuff under GPL v3.

At the moment we are using "OpenDaylight" as a RestConf receiver... and I am looking for an alternative to this huge code block.

If I get you right the "hook in backend by config file" is just a design feature, which had nothing to do with your choice of licence.

llhotka commented 4 years ago

IANAL, but from what I found on the net it seems that if you just distributes sources of Python modules that use the backend API, it is not derived work. The only problem could arise if you distribute compiled *.pyc files.

HRogge commented 4 years ago

The problem is not that the other party can see the source code...

But this is a different matter anyways... you cleared up my confusion about the licence, calling a backend from your restconf code will make it GPLv3... it is your right to select the licence so we will accept this. Maybe I will try to implement restconf myself, the RFC doesn't look that complicated.