Re: HEAD: make tagdemo use new-style headers and namespaces if possible

[Bob Friesenhahn]

On Thu, 8 Sep 2005, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:

> * Bob Friesenhahn wrote on Thu, Sep 08, 2005 at 06:53:48PM CEST:
> > On Thu, 8 Sep 2005, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> >
> > > This patch should make tagdemo pass with all sorts of (non-)conforming
> > > C++ compilers.  AC_CXX_NAMESPACES and AC_CXX_HAVE_STD are taken from the
> > > autoconf macro archive.  A macro to put all compilers in ISO C++ mode
> > > would've been nicer, but a quick search hasn't turned up one.
> > >
> > > OK for CVS HEAD?
> >
> > The patch looks fine to me but are the authors of these macros cleared
> > to contribute to libtool?
>
> Oh brother, this sucks.  ac-archive should've converted to the same
> all-permissive licence we've put our macros under.

It is not just the license, it is also a matter of doing the copyright 
assignment paperwork with the FSF.  I suspect (but do not know) that 
ac-archive has much less rigid requirements.  If ac-archive uses the 
same copyright assignment scheme with the FSF then using the macros 
should be ok.

> But wait: we're not using these macros in other packages, merely our
> tests.  We're not contributing it, it's externally maintained software
> under GPL v2, with the Autoconf exception.

Should not matter.  All of the libtool package should have the same 
copyright integrity (therefore the paperwork) even though the license 
may vary depending on component.

> Thus I don't see the need to have copyright assignments, just as with,
> for example, libltdl/config/depcomp.  Am I missing something?  Or is the
> fact that I include the macro source files the problem?
>
> Surely I would not mind asking these authors for permission, I just hope
> this won't end in a lot of legal work -- a reimplementation will suck
> gigantically namespace- and style-wise but cost less than a half hour.

I expect that depcomp is derived from a package where contributors 
must sign paperwork to assign copyright to the FSF.  That makes 
distributing it ok.

There are many shades of GNU, but only one FSF.

Bob
======================================
Bob Friesenhahn
address@hidden, http://www.simplesystems.org/users/bfriesen/
GraphicsMagick Maintainer,    http://www.GraphicsMagick.org/