Re: [gentoo-dev] No XFree86 w/ new license

[Donnie Berkholz]

On Mon, 2004-02-16 at 22:17, Donnie Berkholz wrote:
> I won't elaborate on the reasons because it's been discussed quite
> thoroughly in other forums [2-8].

As usual, I got the call for clarification etc. from Grant, so here it
is.

Here's a few thoughts on this, and a few worthwhile quotes from the
references I supplied earlier and elsewhere. Note that I am not a
lawyer.

The wording of XFree86's license is quite vague. While its author has
interpreted various parts of it on mailing lists, he has failed to
clarify the license itself to match his interpretations.

If Gentoo distributes a GPL program or driver that can build against any
of the XFree86-licensed sources (for example, the SDK), Gentoo probably
violates the GPL. If Gentoo distributes a GPL XFree86 driver (for
example, x11-misc/synaptics) that can load into this X server, Gentoo
probably violates the GPL.

The development model of XFree86 is very closed. Multiple developers
have stopped contributing to the project and begun maintaining things
elsewhere because of this closed model.

If Gentoo starts acknowledging ANY third-party contributions, it would
be required to start acknowledging XFree86 as well. This takes up space
in the docs, costs money to print and time to deal with, etc.

"[Our distribution] is a strong supporter of open source software and
technologies, and the new XFree86 license seems to be intended to
restricting existing freedom for no real world technical or other
gains.  At least no gains that are beneficial to the community."

The new clause of the XFree86 license:
 3) The end-user documentation included with the redistribution, if any,
    must include the following acknowledgment: "This product includes
    software developed by The XFree86 Project, Inc
    (http://www.xfree86.org/) and its contributors", in the same place
    and form as other third-party acknowledgments. Alternately, this
    acknowledgment may appear in the software itself, in the same form
    and location as other such third-party acknowledgments.

Part of the GPL:
 6. Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the
    Program), the recipient automatically receives a license from the
    original licensor to copy, distribute or modify the Program subject to
    these terms and conditions.  You may not impose any further 
    restrictions on the recipients' exercise of the rights granted herein.
    You are not responsible for enforcing compliance by third parties to
    this License.

"3) Where is the derivative work boundary ? 

The problem is further muddled by the place where the boundary for
something being considered a derivative work. The GPL, contrary to the
LGPL, considers that everything linked with a another binary is a
derivative work of it. I believe that this is mostly done so that
someone could not modify or extend a GPLed library by putting the
modified work in a wrapper or in the binary itself, which the LGPL
allows for dynamic linking, and for static linking with some additional
work. In our case, the problem is the opposite, since the XFree86
libraries may impose their further restrictions to the GPLed code, even
if it is the GPL here who cross the boundary."


Here's a list of files the new license was applied to:
      xc/config/util/:
        cleanlinks.sh revpath.c 
      xc/lib/GLw/:
        Imakefile 
      xc/lib/font/FreeType/module/:
        ftmodule.c 
      xc/lib/font/Speedo/module/:
        speedomod.c 
      xc/lib/font/Type1/module/:
        type1mod.c 
      xc/lib/font/X-TrueType/module/:
        xttmodule.c 
      xc/lib/font/bitmap/module/:
        bitmapmod.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/Xext/:
        sleepuntil.h xf86misc.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/afb/:
        afbmodule.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/cfb/:
        cfb16.h cfb24.h cfb32.h cfbmodule.c cfbunmap.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/cfb16/:
        cfbmodule.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/cfb24/:
        cfbmodule.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/cfb32/:
        cfbmodule.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/fb/:
        fbmodule.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/:
        CHANGELOG Options XF86Conf.cpp XF98Conf.cpp xf86Date.h 
        xf86Version.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/common/:
        atKeynames.h compiler.h fourcc.h scoasm.h xf86.h 
        xf86Beta.c xf86Bus.c xf86Bus.h xf86Config.h xf86Cursor.c 
        xf86DPMS.c xf86Debug.c xf86DoProbe.c xf86DoScanPci.c 
        xf86Events.c xf86Globals.c xf86Helper.c xf86InPriv.h 
        xf86Init.c xf86Io.c xf86Kbd.c xf86KbdBSD.c xf86KbdLnx.c 
        xf86Keymap.h xf86MiscExt.c xf86Mode.c xf86Module.h 
        xf86Opt.h xf86Option.c xf86PM.c xf86PciInfo.h xf86Priv.h 
        xf86Privstr.h xf86Resources.h xf86Versions.c 
        xf86VidMode.c xf86XKB.c xf86Xinput.c xf86Xinput.h 
        xf86cmap.c xf86cmap.h xf86fbBus.c xf86fbman.c xf86fbman.h 
        xf86isaBus.c xf86noBus.c xf86pciBus.c xf86pciBus.h 
        xf86str.h xf86xv.h xf86xvmc.c xf86xvmc.h xf86xvpriv.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/doc/sgml/:
        LICENSE.sgml 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/drivers/s3/:
        newmmio.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/drivers/s3virge/:
        Imakefile newmmio.h regs3v.h s3v.h s3v_accel.c s3v_dac.c 
        s3v_dga.c s3v_driver.c s3v_hwcurs.c s3v_i2c.c 
        s3v_macros.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/drivers/savage/:
        Imakefile savage_dga.c savage_i2c.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/drivers/tseng/:
        tseng_clock.c tseng_ramdac.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/etc/:
        pcitweak.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/input/mouse/:
        mouse.h mousePriv.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/loader/:
        dixsym.c dlloader.c extsym.c fontsym.c loader.c loader.h 
        loaderProcs.h loadext.c loadfont.c loadmod.c misym.c os.c 
        xf86sym.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/:
        assyntax.h int10Defines.h xf86OSmouse.h xf86OSpriv.h 
        xf86_ansic.h xf86_libc.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/bsd/:
        bsd_kqueue_apm.c bsd_mouse.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/bsdi/:
        bsdi_mouse.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/bus/:
        460gxPCI.c 460gxPCI.h Pci.c Pci.h e8870PCI.c e8870PCI.h 
        ia64Pci.c ix86Pci.c netbsdPci.c sparcPci.c xf86Pci.h 
        zx1PCI.c zx1PCI.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/linux/:
        lnx_mouse.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/lynxos/:
        lynx_mouse.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/pmax/:
        pmax_mouse.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/shared/:
        agp_noop.c at_scancode.c kbd.c kmod_noop.c libc_wrapper.c 
        pm_noop.c posix_tty.c sigio.c sigiostubs.c stdPci.c 
        stdResource.c vidmem.c xf86Axp.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/sunos/:
        Imakefile sun_mouse.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/sysv/:
        sysv_mouse.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/parser/:
        Configint.h Device.c Files.c Flags.c Input.c Keyboard.c 
        Layout.c Module.c Monitor.c Pointer.c Screen.c Vendor.c 
        Video.c configProcs.h read.c scan.c write.c xf86Optrec.h 
        xf86Parser.h xf86tokens.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/scanpci/:
        pciid2c.pl xf86PciData.h xf86PciStr.h xf86ScanPci.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/vgahw/:
        vgaHW.c vgaHW.h vgaHWmodule.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/xf1bpp/:
        mfbmodule.c xf1bpp.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/xf4bpp/:
        vgamodule.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/xf86cfg/:
        config.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/mfb/:
        mfbmodule.c 
      xc/programs/Xserver/mi/:
        micoord.h 
      xc/programs/Xserver/os/:
        log.c 
      xc/programs/fstobdf/:
        fstobdf.h 
      xc/programs/twm/:
        session.h 
      xc/programs/xfs/include/:
        difs.h 
      xc/programs/xmag/:
        CutPaste.h 
      xc/programs/xmessage/:
        readfile.h xmessage.h 


That's a start.

Thanks,
Donnie