[SciPy-user] scipy code contribution question

[Ryan Krauss]

Thanks for the clarification.  If you had access to their source, then
I don't see how you could contribute this to scipy.  I can't imagine
them giving you permision.

On 7/5/07, Lev Givon <lev at columbia.edu> wrote:
> Received from Ryan Krauss on Thu, Jul 05, 2007 at 08:36:28AM EDT:
> > I certainly don't claim to be an expert on derivative work, but it
> > seems like you aren't creating a derivative work if Mathworks never
> > showed you the source code - which I assume they didn't.
> >
> > It seems like an overly literal interpretation of the license snippet
> > that Bill posted would say that if I ever used Matlab, then I can
> > never write code that does the same things as Matlab or any of its
> > toolboxes.  If that is legally defended, then I can't contribute
> > anything to scipy.
> >
> > I appreciate that we want to be careful, but it doesn't make sense
> > that we could get in trouble by creating functions with the same names
> > as Matlab functions if we've never seen their source code.  I mean,
> > can they copyright plot(x,y)?  If so, than matplotlib is in trouble
> > (unless John had never used Matlab when he came up with that syntax).
> > What about fft(x)?
> >
>
> I agree with your view regarding the implementation of Matlab-like
> interfaces; in my previous messages, I was specifically alluding to
> functions included in Matlab whose source is visible (i.e., most of
> the toolkit functions).
>
> > The link that Bill posted with the GPL code poses as big a problem in
> > my mind.  If any of us looks at that code, then any similar algorithm
> > would need to be GPL'ed as a derivative work.  So, don't open that
> > link :)
> >
>
> No need to worry; one side effect of prolonged scipy use is that
> scientific C code begins to take on a marked resemblance to Greek (at
> least in the eyes of barbaroi such as myself :-)
>
>                                                 L.G.
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