Python programs always open source?

[Magnus Lycka]

Ben Finney wrote:
> Leif K-Brooks <eurleif at ecritters.biz> writes:
> 
>>>> Ben Finney wrote:
>>>>> So long as you're not distributing some or all of Python itself,
>>>>> or a derivative work, the license for Python has no legal effect
>>>>> on what license you choose for your own work.
> 
>> I was replying to Ben Finney's claim that in a hypothetical world
>> where Python was licensed under the GPL, there would still be no
>> restriction on distributing Python programs under a closed-source
>> license.
> 
> My claim (and IANAL) is that it doesn't matter *what* license Python
> is distributed under; unless you do something with Python that is a
> right of the copyright holder, such as distributing part or all of
> Python, the copyright license terms of Python have no legal effect on
> what license you choose for your own work.

As I read the GPL, you should be ok if you don't copy, distribute or
modify Python (if Python was GPL). Those are the activities covered
by the GPL license. Using py2exe to make a binary with both Python
and your own code would be a different matter. Even distributing a CD
with a GPL Python and your python modules would be a problem, since
you would be distributing GPL software with non-GPL software which will
be combined into a program as you run it.

If you just distribute your .py files, it probably doesn't matter if
someone else will run the unholy combination of GPL Python and
nongpl.py. I don't think a judge would consider executing
"gplpython nonglp.py" being copying, distribution or modification.

On the other hand, I think your "doesn't matter *what* license
Python is distributed under"-claim holds. If we are allowed to think
up other evil licenses, they could make claims on all files ever used
with their evil software, and I doubt that you could develop non-
trivial software without ever invoking it.

Still, the important thing is that Python uses a license which is
convenient for both proprietary software development and open source.