Re: Lilypond on OS X Catalina

[David Kastrup]

Karlin High <address@hidden> writes:

> On 10/17/2019 5:10 PM, Allan Kinnaird via lilypond-user wrote:
>> I believe that the real question is when a 64-bit Mac binary will
>> appear on lilypond.org <http://lilypond.org> - I would expect
>> v2.20.0 or thereabouts. Does anyone have a solid timetable?
>
> My current understanding is this:
>
> There is a conflict between Apple's Software License Agreement for the
> XCode software needed to build 64-bit Mac binaries, and the GNU
> General Public License that LilyPond uses.

No, it is a conflict between Apple's Software License Agreement for the
XCode software needed to build 64-bit Mac binaries, and the GNU General
Public License that GUB, the build system we use for generating the
binaries downloadable from our web site.

Use of software not allowed to run on non-Apple hardware for building
the binaries we offer is also arguably incompatible with the GNU
maintainer guidelines objecting to the promotion of non-free software on
webpages for GNU software.

It certainly is permissible to compile LilyPond using XCode for your own
purposes, at least it is not a license violation of LilyPond's license.
But it's outside of the scope of what we can provide as a binary
download on LilyPond's website.  That's something that the various
packagers of GPLed software for MacOSX have to be doing.

Unless somebody manages to adapt the GUB subsystem for MacOSX to an
OpenDarwin SDK or some other toolkit available under a free license
allowing us to create binaries working under MacOSX.

> There has been a lot of discussion and ongoing research into how to
> best move forward. References to list archives can be provided if they
> would be helpful. But, there is no solid timetable for when a 64-bit
> Mac binary will appear on lilypond.org.

"There is no solid timetable" is a euphemism.  It's more like "there is
no feasible plan that would result in a 64-bit Mac binary for download
from lilypond.org".

-- 
David Kastrup