GMP license problem, anyone?

[Bill Hart]

If people do not wish to run GMP 4.2.2 on their machines then FLINT
will be useless to them if it uses functionality from GMP 4.2.2 or
above.

If SAGE wishes to include everything required to run SAGE, including
GMP, then to remain v2+ (or become v2+ since it actually isnt at
present) there's no point in me requiring features from GMP 4.2.2 or
above.

Of course there's nothing stopping someone linking FLINT with GMP
4.2.2 or higher if they want to. The build links dynamically at
present, so this is no problem at all.

Bill.

On 31/05/2008, Patrick Pelissier <patrick.pelissier at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
>   I still don't understand why you don't link with GMP 4.2.2 while
>  keeping in FLINT the code you get from GMP 4.2.1.
>   It will be a lot simpler to maintain a specific code for FLINT based
>  on GMP 4.2.1 (and more efficient) rather than maintaining a fork of
>  GMP.
>   And it seems to me that's all you need (FLINT and SAGE will remain in GPL V2+)
>
>   Please clarify if I haven't understood all the issues.
>
>
>  --
>   Sincerely,
>   Patrick Pélissier
>
>
>  On Thu, May 29, 2008 at 8:53 AM, Bill Hart <goodwillhart at googlemail.com> wrote:
>  > Sorry, this wasn't at all clear. Let me rephrase. I just now realised
>  > the problem with what I wrote.
>  >
>  > Firstly FLINT actually uses extensive portions of GMP in its integer
>  > library. It doesn't just link against GMP, though it does that also.
>  > If I want to keep doing that, I am limited to what was available in
>  > GMP 4.2.1 if I want my project to be part of SAGE, which is at least
>  > philosophically committed to GPL v2+. SAGE doesn't just link against
>  > FLINT, it includes it, the same as it includes GMP.
>  >
>  > The issue is more complicated than that, as I indicate. I shouldn't
>  > really speak on behalf of SAGE itself, since I know less about it than
>  > FLINT, but as I indicate, some of the projects in SAGE are v2+. To
>  > support their development, I as a developer of code to be included in
>  > SAGE, want my code to be compatible with their licenses. I know other
>  > SAGE developers want to do the same. If I did include code from GMP
>  > v4.2.2 or above in FLINT, then I would be forced to use GPL v3 or v3+
>  > and this would mean others who wanted to stick with v2+ could not then
>  > include my code. So I won't do that.
>  >
>  > The other way around, there is no problem. Someone using GPL v3 on
>  > their project can use my code.
>  >
>  > Sorry I didn't make this very clear in the first instance. Also I
>  > wasn't clear until tonight that there wasn't any v2 only code in SAGE,
>  > but there isn't any more apparently.
>  >
>  > Bill.
>  >
>  >
>  > On 29/05/2008, Patrick Pelissier <patrick.pelissier at gmail.com> wrote:
>  >> > Some months ago now, at a conference, the license issue was brought
>  >>  > up. Because SAGE makes use of numerous packages, some of which are GPL
>  >>  > v2+ it cannot change to GPL v3+ and numerous members of the SAGE
>  >>  > community appear to be against doing that on principal anyway. I have
>  >>  > to admit I am also such a person. FLINT will always remain GPL v2+ and
>  >>  > so cannot ever use future versions of GMP if they remain LGLP v3+.
>  >>  > This leaves me with few options.
>  >>
>  >>
>  >> Hi,
>  >>
>  >>   I don't understand the issue.
>  >>   If FLINT if GPLv2+, it can link either with GMP LGPL v2+ or with GMP LGPL v3+.
>  >>   See the compatibility matrix:
>  >>  http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#AllCompatibility
>  >>   The problem is only for "GPLv2 only" projects.
>  >>
>  >>
>  >>  --
>  >>   Sincerely,
>  >>   Patrick Pélissier
>  >>
>  >
>