Re: [PHP-DEV] License Choice: RE: [PHP-DEV] readline extension status? From: Rasmus Lerdorf (rasmus <email protected>)
Date: 12/28/00

It does have something to do with the subject. It was suggested that we
let the user decide and dual-license PHP again. Let's ignore whether or
not that makes sense for now. I said we could not use the GPL because of
the Zend License. You said the PHP license itself made it impossible.
The PHP license obviously does not make this impossible as it is pretty
much a do-whatever-you-want license as you stated.

And if the dual licensing didn't give Stallman anything, it doesn't make
any sense for him to get upset over the fact that we removed this dual
license. So obviously he did see value in it, and it did solve the issue
regarding extensions to GPL'ed libraries. It isn't a nice resolution as
we would basically have to state that certain extensions could only be
used if the user chose to use PHP under its GPL license, and if they chose
the BSD-style license they were not allowed to use these extensions.

We do not rely very heavily on GPL'ed libraries. We have a couple of
insignificant conflicts that don't look like they will be a problem to
resolve. Simply resolving these is the best course forward at this point.

However, that shouldn't rule out looking at what could be done to make the
PHP license GPL-compatible. Dual-licensing is not the only way to do
that.

-Rasmus

On Thu, 28 Dec 2000, Zeev Suraski wrote:

> At 21:09 28/12/2000, Rasmus Lerdorf wrote:
> >But that isn't true. The GPL is compatible with the PHP license in that a
> >GPL'ed program can take parts of PHP and include it. Which clause in the
> >PHP license are you sauing prevents this?
>
> But that's obvious! The BSD license can be summarized in pretty much one
> sentence - 'take this and do whatever you want with it'.
>
> The problem is in the other direction - PHP including GPL'd software. What
> Stallman has in mind is that the GPL will become wider and wider. How does
> he want to get to this goal? By the contagious nature of the GPL.
>
> Licensing the same piece of software under both the BSD license ('do
> whatever you want!') and GPL ('thou shalt do this and that and that')
> doesn't give Stallman anything, because people will ALWAYS use the 'do
> whatever you want' license if they have to.
>
> This whole discussion was sparked because of the (apparent) problems PHP
> has when it interfaces with GPL'd software. Obviously, someone can write a
> GPL'd piece of code for PHP or above PHP, but this has nothing to do with
> the subject.
>
> Zeev
>
>
> --
> Zeev Suraski <zeev <email protected>>
> CTO & co-founder, Zend Technologies Ltd. http://www.zend.com/
> 

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