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More on Exim, GPL and the IPR license

2004-08-30 07:22:38
I hate to keep harping on this, but I really do believe that it is important.   
I solicited the opinion of Dr. Philip Hazel of Cambridge University who as you 
probably know is the principal author of Exim.   I asked him if he would 
consider releasing Exim under a difference license other than the GPL if doing 
so would allow Sender-ID code to be included in it.   His response was:

"The short answer is "No". 

I have no desire to change Exim's licence, and certainly not as a result 
from pressure of Microsoft's lawyers. Furthermore, some of the other
postings I've seen have said that developers using this "free" licence
must register with Microsoft. That is completely unacceptable."

I believe that Dr. Hazel's response demonstrates two things.   The first is 
that one of the most popular MTAs in use will not be able to include Sender-ID 
code.   The second is that a very well respected open source developer sees the 
IPR license terms as "completely unacceptable".

Kevin

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