[SciPy-Dev] cubature license

Sun Aug 25 08:01:32 EDT 2013

On 8/25/13, Saullo Castro <saullogiovani at gmail.com> wrote:
> @Warren
>
> from the good disccusion here (
> http://matplotlib.org/devel/license.html#license-discussion)
> it seems that the biggest difference between the GPL and the BSD is that
> the former requires you to distribute your source code, and the BSD allows
> you to do whatever you want...
>
> I don't see the problem to include it in SciPy, since the source code is
> always distributed.

The issue is the restriction placed on anyone who wants to
*redistribute* software that uses scipy.  For example, currently a
third party could build and sell a commercial application that uses
scipy without having to distribute the source code for the application
or their modified version of scipy.   That would not be possible with
a GPL license.

More reading: http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/articles/bsdl-gpl/article.html

Warren

> Even if third part companies like Enthought are using
> it, it is more like a module, isn't it? and the core code behind it can
> still be BSD  based.
>
> Anyway, the software has a `clencurt_gen.c` stand-alone program which does
> not have to be used unless the user whant a `p-adaptive` cubature with more
> than 8193 points per dimension, this type of cubature applies
> "p-refinement" (increase of interpolation function order) instead of
> "h-refinement" (splitting the interval). I don't see a need to include this
> program in the SciPy cubature. We can implement this restriction in the
> wrapper.
>
> I will ask Steven Johnson about this, if removing this part could make
> cubature re-licensable to BSD.
>
> Greetings!
> Saullo
>
>
> 2013/8/24 <scipy-dev-request at scipy.org>
>
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>> Today's Topics:
>>
>>    1. Re: cubature license (Robert Kern)
>>    2. Re: cubature license (Warren Weckesser)
>>    3. Re: cubature license (Warren Weckesser)
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 16:53:10 +0200
>> From: Robert Kern <robert.kern at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [SciPy-Dev] cubature license
>> To: SciPy Developers List <scipy-dev at scipy.org>
>> Message-ID:
>>         <
>> CAF6FJivScnjqnAZO8OJ0XZpJ48+KsC5rdOmE+5z-EWWJn7iH_g at mail.gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>
>> On Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 4:47 PM, Warren Weckesser <
>> warren.weckesser at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > On 8/24/13, Saullo Castro <saullogiovani at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > > @Alex,
>> > >
>> > > you are right, "it uses some GPL code from other projects (Hintlib
>> > > and
>> > > GSL).
>> > > "
>> > >
>> > > But is it really impossible to include it in SciPy because of that?
>> >
>> > Yes.  We do not include GPL-licensed code in SciPy.  I haven't looked
>> > at the Cubature code, so I don't know the extent to which it uses
>> > HIntLib and GSL, but based on the comment on the web page, it is
>> > unlikely that Steven Johnson can re-license his code with a license
>> > that is compatible with SciPy.  The GPL is viral that way (insert the
>> > usual "I am not a lawyer" disclaimer here).
>>
>> It's not quite as viral as that. He can license the code that he himself
>> wrote under whatever license he likes as long as it is compatible with
>> the
>> GPL license of the other libraries that he is combining his code with. If
>> the code that he wrote is separable from HIntLib and GSL by rewriting
>> that
>> functionality, he can distribute his code under the BSD license for
>> inclusion in SciPy.
>>
>> --
>> Robert Kern
>> -------------- next part --------------
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>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 2
>> Date: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 11:04:51 -0400
>> From: Warren Weckesser <warren.weckesser at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [SciPy-Dev] cubature license
>> To: SciPy Developers List <scipy-dev at scipy.org>
>> Message-ID:
>>         <
>> CAGzF1ufwXi4UoGeCwvBN1HCJbigGKtpYisM8KFEc9n5NAhyNtA at mail.gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>>
>> On 8/24/13, Robert Kern <robert.kern at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > On Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 4:47 PM, Warren Weckesser <
>> > warren.weckesser at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> On 8/24/13, Saullo Castro <saullogiovani at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> > @Alex,
>> >> >
>> >> > you are right, "it uses some GPL code from other projects (Hintlib
>> >> > and
>> >> > GSL).
>> >> > "
>> >> >
>> >> > But is it really impossible to include it in SciPy because of that?
>> >>
>> >> Yes.  We do not include GPL-licensed code in SciPy.  I haven't looked
>> >> at the Cubature code, so I don't know the extent to which it uses
>> >> HIntLib and GSL, but based on the comment on the web page, it is
>> >> unlikely that Steven Johnson can re-license his code with a license
>> >> that is compatible with SciPy.  The GPL is viral that way (insert the
>> >> usual "I am not a lawyer" disclaimer here).
>> >
>> > It's not quite as viral as that. He can license the code that he
>> > himself
>> > wrote under whatever license he likes as long as it is compatible with
>> the
>> > GPL license of the other libraries that he is combining his code with.
>> > If
>> > the code that he wrote is separable from HIntLib and GSL by rewriting
>> that
>> > functionality, he can distribute his code under the BSD license for
>> > inclusion in SciPy.
>>
>>
>> Yes--thanks for the clarification.
>>
>> Warren
>>
>>
>> >
>> > --
>> > Robert Kern
>> >
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 3
>> Date: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 11:16:16 -0400
>> From: Warren Weckesser <warren.weckesser at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [SciPy-Dev] cubature license
>> To: SciPy Developers List <scipy-dev at scipy.org>
>> Message-ID:
>>         <
>> CAGzF1uezSbAmsWNwSyfRug5tz08UA1pe7pUeeBYVE1tmykSWrw at mail.gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>>
>> On 8/24/13, Warren Weckesser <warren.weckesser at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > On 8/24/13, Robert Kern <robert.kern at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> On Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 4:47 PM, Warren Weckesser <
>> >> warren.weckesser at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>> On 8/24/13, Saullo Castro <saullogiovani at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>> > @Alex,
>> >>> >
>> >>> > you are right, "it uses some GPL code from other projects (Hintlib
>> and
>> >>> > GSL).
>> >>> > "
>> >>> >
>> >>> > But is it really impossible to include it in SciPy because of that?
>> >>>
>> >>> Yes.  We do not include GPL-licensed code in SciPy.  I haven't looked
>> >>> at the Cubature code, so I don't know the extent to which it uses
>> >>> HIntLib and GSL, but based on the comment on the web page, it is
>> >>> unlikely that Steven Johnson can re-license his code with a license
>> >>> that is compatible with SciPy.  The GPL is viral that way (insert the
>> >>> usual "I am not a lawyer" disclaimer here).
>> >>
>> >> It's not quite as viral as that. He can license the code that he
>> >> himself
>> >> wrote under whatever license he likes as long as it is compatible with
>> >> the
>> >> GPL license of the other libraries that he is combining his code with.
>> If
>> >> the code that he wrote is separable from HIntLib and GSL by rewriting
>> >> that
>> >> functionality, he can distribute his code under the BSD license for
>> >> inclusion in SciPy.
>> >
>> >
>> > Yes--thanks for the clarification.
>> >
>> > Warren
>> >
>>
>>
>> P.S.:  Saullo, here are a couple links to more information about
>> compatible licenses:
>> http://wiki.scipy.org/License_Compatibility
>> http://matplotlib.org/devel/license.html#license-discussion (the
>> discussion of the matplotlib license is applicable to scipy)
>>
>> Warren
>>
>> >
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Robert Kern
>> >>
>> >
>>
>>
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