Re: relicense some modules for use under GPLv2+

[Eric Blake]

On 02/19/2018 05:20 PM, Bruno Haible wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Often gnulib has relicensed modules for use in LGPLv2+ packages (such as
> libvirt).
>
> Some modules have also be relicensed for use in "dual LGPLv3+ or GPLv2"
> packages (such as GNU libunistring). [1]
>
> Today, I would like to ask for relicensing of specific modules for use in
> GPLv2+ programs, namely GNU clisp.
>
> GNU clisp is under GPLv2+, not GPLv3+, because it was designed, from the
> beginning, as a vehicle for running computer algebra systems. The most
> prominent computer algebra system written in Lisp is Maxima, and is under
> GPLv2. If clisp was only distributed under GPLv3+, one could no longer
> distribute maxima with/in clisp.
>
> So, regarding gnulib, I'd like
>
> 1) to introduce an option --gpl=v2+ that, like the --lgpl option, verifies
>     license compatibility and updates the copyright header in the source
>     files,
>
> 2) ask for relicensing LGPL -> 'LGPLv3+ or GPLv2' of the modules
>       no-c++
>       mkfifo
>       mknod
>       strftime, nstrftime, time_rz, tzset
>
> 3) ask for relicensing GPL -> GPLv2+ of the modules
>       c-strtod
>       getloadavg
>       link-follow
>       libsigsegv
>       vma-iter
>
> Thoughts?

Makes sense to me.

> Can we go ahead, as usual, with per-module approval by the authors of said
> modules?

Upstream ligsigsegv is still GPLv2+ (I'm actually a bit surprised that 
it hasn't bumped to GPLv3+ in the meantime), so that one should be an 
easy sell.  None of the others are standing out to me as an obvious sore 
point, so I hereby give approval for the proposed relicensing of my 
contributions to those modules.

--
Eric Blake, Principal Software Engineer
Red Hat, Inc.           +1-919-301-3266
Virtualization:  qemu.org | libvirt.org