Re: My Favorite soapbox : XML linkage (was Re: [DotGNU]Jabber-thon)

[James Michael DuPont]

> > Maybe I misunderstood you, do you mean that
> non-free
> > software cannot use free/opensource XML-RPC
> > implementations? I think most are at least under
> the
> > lgpl or less restrictive.
> > 
> 
> 
> No - I did not mean that at all.  
> 
> What I meant was that those companies would still
> have to develop the
> program that takes that XML-RPC output (even if they
> have libraries to
> interpret the returns into usable info, which goes
> without saying) and
> then *DOES SOMETHING WITH IT*

Look, All an XMLRPC does is in first step reduce the
program from GPL to LGPL. What someone does with it is
a different question, point is that you break the
linkage via some http tunnel.

The issue with the GCC from from RMS is that we are
making it easier for them to do so, he does not want
that done.

For the introspector project I have gotten queries
from a couple of developers who were interested in
using he c/c++ parser via the introspector to create
closed source code generator and interfaces, they were
prepared to *DO SOMTHING WITH IT*.

> Would it save them some money to use Free code?
> 
> Maybe, maybe not... that all depends on how much
> work would have to go
> into converting said Free Software program and then
> creating the
> proprietary program that interfaces with it.

Sure, but the GCC or PNET are programs that are not
easy to write. 

> 
> Practically speaking, it may violate the spirit of
> the GNU GPL - but it
> doesn't come without a price tag and any company
> that does it will
> suffer community protest.  
Well start protesting about the SWAGKIT, noone cares
right now. And they have lots of cheap students
working on non-free programs that DO SOMETHING with
the output of GCC. Sun, Bell Canada, Nortel and even
IBM are sponsors of the project. So go figure!

> is not a new issue.  I new a guy 3 years ago who
> produced a generic PERL
> front-end for any GNU/Linux program you wanted to
> use.  It would output
> the STDIO to the web browser.
Sounds cool.

> 
> There just isn't anything really new here... Are
> there issues?  Sure...
> but it's not a doomsday scenario.
Look,  There are people who can and will go  greate
lengths to overcome the GPL. RMS has asked me to not
dump function bodies in such an easy to use, non
licensed format for good reasons. 

The issue with other Gpled programs in general I
cannot speak for, only guess. 

I can tell you that compilers are vunerable because
once they convert a program to an XML once, there is
no need for them again!

Best regards,
Mike

=====
James Michael DuPont

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