Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1757189AbXFUS36 (ORCPT ); Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:29:58 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1753700AbXFUS3t (ORCPT ); Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:29:49 -0400 Received: from mail1.webmaster.com ([216.152.64.169]:1790 "EHLO mail1.webmaster.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1752566AbXFUS3s (ORCPT ); Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:29:48 -0400 From: "David Schwartz" To: Subject: RE: how about mutual compatibility between Linux's GPLv2 and GPLv3? Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:29:17 -0700 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.6604 (9.0.2911.0) In-Reply-To: Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3138 X-Authenticated-Sender: joelkatz@webmaster.com X-Spam-Processed: mail1.webmaster.com, Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:29:48 -0700 (not processed: message from trusted or authenticated source) X-MDRemoteIP: 206.171.168.138 X-Return-Path: davids@webmaster.com X-MDaemon-Deliver-To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Reply-To: davids@webmaster.com X-MDAV-Processed: mail1.webmaster.com, Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:29:50 -0700 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1080 Lines: 27 Alexandre Oliva wrote: > However, if GPLv3 had a permission to combine/link with code under > GPLv2, *and* Linux (and any other projects interested in mutual > compatibility) introduced an additional permission to combine/link > with code under GPLv3 (or even GPLv3+, constrained by some condition > if you will), then: Wouldn't that defeat the entire purpose of the GPLv3? Couldn't I take any GPLv3 program, combine it with a few lines of Linux code, and Tivoize the result? The fundamental problem is this: Any proposed mutually compatible license must either permit or prohibit Tivoization. If it prohibits it, then it's no different from changing the kernel license to GPLv3. If it allows it, then it's no different from the GPLv2 and it would be suicide to the whole purpose of the GPLv3 for it to be compatible with it. DS - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/