ietf-mxcomp
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Re: The SSL license offer.

2004-09-03 02:46:09

Guillaume Filion wrote:

"Ryan Malayter" <rmalayter(_at_)bai(_dot_)org> wrote:
Very interesting. If OpenSSL can be included in Linux distributions, why
can't SenderID?

The SSL license would seem to have tproblems with the GPL similar to
those that the SenderID license does.
The SSL license probably is incompatible with the GPL. But that does not make it incompatible with all FOSS licenses. Also every piece of software included in a Linux distribution does not meet the Free Software Foundations criteria, that does not prevent it from being included. Some distributions such as Debian distinguish between free and non-free - incompatible license terms. The OpenSSL license would probably qualify it as non-free but redistributable. The Microsoft License would prevent redistribution.

The GPL is the most popular OpenSource License. However it is not the only one.

Finally, we - not even the lawyers, do not get to decide whether the Microsoft license is incompatible with whatever License a particular developer is using That developer does, or the distributor. Basically the people who are taking the risk by developing and distributing software get to decide based hopefully on the advice they receive from THEIR lawyers, whether they have a problem. If Phillip Hazel, or the developers of Courier, ... believe they have a problem, you can try to persuade them otherwise
but you can not just tell them that they are wrong.


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