From: Austin Ziegler <austin@...>
Date: 2002-09-09T15:02:06+09:00
Subject: Re: JRuby (was Re: OS-independent build of ruby)

On Mon, 9 Sep 2002 03:49:27 +0900, Jan Arne Petersen wrote:
> You don't read the mails Austin wrote to me. But there is a big
> difference if you start a conversation with a request for another
> license (because you want to use JRuby in a commercial
> application) or with the unfounded reproach of copyright
> violation.

Mr Petersen:

At no time in my emails here or to you directly have I suggested
that there is a copyright violation. In my first email asking you
the question, I said:

    "[Because JRuby is likely implemented from the C version because
     there is no language specification document,] wouldn't it be,
     then, that JRuby would have to be under the same licence or
     licences as Ruby itself, to wit [...]

    "I'm quite curious about this, as it seems improper for you to
     choose only one of the two licences in which Ruby is
     available."

This asked a question. My statement of "improper" has nothing to do
with what is legal, but what is ethical. I don't consider your
choice ethical. It may also not be legal, but I'm not really in a
position to complain about that, nor am I a lawyer to know whether
or not it is a true statement. I have put the question to a lawyer
well-known in the OSS community, and will happily share the answer.

In my second email, I went as far to state:

    "I'll grant that you *can* do that; I'm not sure that you
     *should* have done that, as it seems to violate the spirit of
     the Ruby community."

I also indicated that as far as I know, the LGPL isn't really an
option insofar as the codebase you have is still derivative of the
original Ruby source -- because Ruby itself isn't under the LGPL.

So please, Mr Petersen, do not try to claim that I reproached you
for copyright violation -- merely the spirit of licences. Any
reproach is entirely in your reading.

I've asked questions. I have NOT accused, and I don't appreciate it
when people suggest that I have.

-austin
-- Austin Ziegler, austin@halostatue.ca on 2002.09.09 at 01.52.55