Ethereal-dev: Re: [Ethereal-dev] RADIUS's "Message Authenticator"

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From: Hamish Moffatt <hamish@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 08:23:10 +1100
On Sun, Mar 24, 2002 at 11:03:21AM -0600, David Frascone wrote:
> I don't think so.  If we don't *require* openssl, or ever even point to how
> to download it, then we're not recommending it's usage either.  But, if it
> happens to be distributed with the OS, we will detect and use it.  I *do*
> think that will keep the licenses free from question.

Just consider the intent of the license (GPL). The intention is that you can
have the source code to the entire program, including the C library.
(On proprietary systems that isn't feasible, so there's a specific
exemption for libraries supplied with the system.) And then you must
be able to modify the program for your own use and distribute your
changes, also licensed with the GPL, as you see fit.

If you consider run-time linking of libraries as acceptable, then
anyone is free to write plug-ins or new code for Ethereal for which
they won't distribute the source - which violates the intent of the
license.

As free software authors we should not be trying to evade a free 
software license - especially the license of the product we are 
working on!

> But, then again, I'm *not* a lawyer.

Me neither.


Hamish
-- 
Hamish Moffatt VK3SB <hamish@xxxxxxxxxx> <hamish@xxxxxxxxxxxx>