Re: [Haskell-cafe] LGPL and Haskell (Was: Re: ANNOUNCE: tie-knot library)

+1 Very similar to my point (see original thread), but put in a better way. :) As an interesting coincidence, this exact thing happened to someone just now. (thread "containers license issue") Jonathan On Wed, Dec 12, 2012 at 5:00 PM, Clark Gaebel wrote:

Since we've already heard from the aggressive (L)GPL side of this "debate", I think it's time for someone to provide the opposite opinion.

I write code to help users. However, as a library designer, my users are programmers just like me. Writing my Haskell libraries with restrictions like the (L)GPL means my users need to jump through hoops to use my software, and I personally find that unacceptable. Therefore, I gravitate more towards BSD3 and "beer-ware" type licenses. This also means my users aren't subjected to my religious views just because they want to use my "ones and zeros".

Also, with GHC's aggressive inlining, even if you do have a static linking exception in your (L)GPL license, it still may not hold up! Although the entire idea is untested in court, GHC can (and will!) inline potentially huge parts of statically linked libraries into your code, and this would force you to break the license terms if you were to distribute the software without source code. In Haskell-land, the GPL is the ultimate in viral licensing, and very hard to escape.

That's why I don't use (L)GPL licenses.

Just making sure both sides have a horse in this race :) - Clark

On Wed, Dec 12, 2012 at 9:51 AM, kudah wrote:

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On Wed, 12 Dec 2012 10:06:23 +0100 Petr P wrote:

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2012/12/12 David Thomas

Yet another solution would be what David Thomas suggest: To provide the source code to your users, but don't allow them to use the code for anything but relinking the program with a different version of the library (no distribution, no modification etc.).

You can also provide object code for linking, though I'm sure this will not work with Haskell object files. Providing alternative distribution of your program linked dynamically, or a promise to provide one on notice, also satisfies the LGPL as long as dynamic-version is as functional as the static and can be dropped-in as a replacement.

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