From: Eric Lee Green <eric@...>
Date: 2001-11-08T04:29:57+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:24575] Re: can GPL feature be a Ruby standard?  (was:  kill rdtool?)

> Mark Hahn wrote:
> > >From the GPL faq:
> >
> > "By contrast, pipes, sockets and command-line arguments are communication
> > mechanisms normally used between two separate programs. So when they are
> > used for communication, the modules normally are separate programs. But
> > if the semantics of the communication are intimate enough, exchanging
> > complex internal data structures, that too could be a basis to consider
> > the two parts as combined into a larger program".
...

> > Your method of "hitting the "Backup" button on the GUI spawn(ing) off a
> > seperate process that in turn called the GPL'ed "tapeinfo" program",
> > could be argued to be "make them effectively a single program".  I'm not
> > saying it IS a violation of the GPL, just that it could be argue

According to our intellectual property lawyer, the fact that 'tapeinfo' was 
usable (and useful) as a program outside of BRU-Pro (and in fact still is, I 
still maintain it as a GPL'ed program even though I no longer work for the 
company that produces BRU-Pro) was enough to demonstrate "lack of intimacy".

> > In the commercial world, the possibility of legal action is enough to be
> > a show-stopper for a technology.

Correct. That is why you should consult an attorney, rather than rely upon 
(mis)information that you get from the Web. 

-- 
Eric Lee Green          GnuPG public key at http://badtux.org/eric/eric.gpg
           mailto:eric@badtux.org  Web: http://www.badtux.org
             You do not save freedom by destroying freedom