re: re: freedom

[Kenneth Geisshirt <kenneth at geisshirt dot dk>]

On Wed, 2 Apr 2003, Martin Jansche wrote:

> You may write commercial software that uses GSL and many other fine
> libraries, but you must make your sources available in accordance with
> the GPL.

The license issue comes up on a regular basis in this forum. And GSL's web
site <http://sources.redhat.com/gsl/> carries a FAQ on commercial use.
Please let me quote from it:

  The bottom line for commercial users:
     GSL can be used internally ("in-house") without restriction, but not
     redistributed in proprietary software.
  If your business involves developing and selling proprietary software
  then GSL will not be suitable for you.

I really don't know the ratio between in-house development and
off-the-shelf/proprietary development but my guess is that more than 80 %
of all programmer do in-house development. In the old days (4-5 years ago)
when Eric Raymond was advocating Open Source (sorry, Brian, but ESR uses
that term) he always asked the audience how many where programmers and
how many got paid directly some sales of software. Most programmers seem
to do in-house development.

Maybe the GSL team can clearify one issue: I work as a consultant for
(biotech) companies. I design and implement small and large peaces of
software which are used only in-house by the researchers. A typical
contact says that the customer owns all rights to my code (probably not
legally valid in Denmark where I live). Can I use GSL (and any GPL'ed
library) in these situations?

> Sounds like a much better deal to me than, say, using Numerical Recipes
> code.

The NR license is very strange and restrictive. I tend to avoid using
(even reading) that book due to license problems ;-).

Kneth

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Kenneth Geisshirt, M.Sc., Ph.D.         http://kenneth.geisshirt.dk
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