Re: Anyone link GSL into IDL?

On Fri, 4 Apr 2008, Allan Whiteford wrote:

>> I am working on the DLM sup****t for FL and my example program is FFTW3.
>> I plan to release the DLM source under GPL. Is this enough? What is
your 
>> opinion?
>
> Some people would certainly assert that that would make all of FL GPL
but 
> that's not to say they'd be right (although I think within open source 
> software circles they will be in the majority).
>

Now I see why GPL is called viral: a few dozen lines long interface can 
infect a 200,000 lines program :-)

> My personal opinion and understanding of the GPL would be that this
would be 
> a violation but I'm not an expert on these things by any stretch of the 
> imagination.
>
> I would be very cautious about releasing a FFTW3 plug-in for FL.
>

OK, to be on the safe side. I will drop FFTW3, it was meant as a useful 
example program only. I will choose an other library with a more friendly 
licence. And probably FL users will write their own FFTW3 DLM, they can 
not infect FL :-)

> You can always write to the FSF for advice and/or contact the FFTW3
people to 
> see if they'll make an exception for FL.
>

The FSF advice would be to release FL under GPL. And after reading the 
FFTW pages I think the chance of obtaining an exception is exactly 0%.
So, I will not use FFTW.

thanks,
lajos


> Thanks,
>
> Allan
>