Begin forwarded message:
From: Paolo Bonzini <bonzini@gnu.org> Date: October 12, 2010 10:37:35 AM GMT+02:00 To: "Fitzell, Julian" <jfitzell@cincom.com> Cc: stephane.ducasse@inria.fr, BSchwab@anest.ufl.edu, paolo.bonzini@usi.ch Subject: Re: [Pharo-project] License question
On 10/12/2010 10:00 AM, Fitzell, Julian wrote:
Are you sure? I've heard opinions expressed that looking at a library and copying the API might constitute a derivative work.
It's tricky terrain, but the FSF itself did it multiple times with its "provide a free replacement for a non-free package" policy. It's one of the few areas in which you'll hear me saying their evaluation criteria is biased ("if you use this to make a free derivative it's fine, if you use this to make a non-copyleft derivative it's not").
However, in this case it doesn't apply. What I suggested is to copy the API of an existing non-copyleft package (Didier Besset's numerical methods) and use it in the GPL'd bindings that BSchwab (I think) wrote for GSL.
Paolo