I really hate to see it go, but if it must it must. We can always
replace it later if we find something suitable.
-Damien
On Jun 1, 2008, at 2:07 PM, Christopher Lenz wrote:
> On 26.05.2008, at 01:16, Christopher Lenz wrote:
> [...]
>> 1. Licensing problem: Javascript Shell
>>
>> CouchDB includes a JS shell that is derived from <http://www.squarefree.com/shell/
>> >. Initially it was pretty much a verbatim copy, but it has been
>> changed to integrate nicely into our Futon web interface. The JS
>> Shell is, according to the above web page, "GPL/LGPL/MPL tri-
>> licensed". However, there's no actual license or copyright
>> statement to be found anywhere.
>>
>> None of those three licenses are without problems for an Apache
>> project. See <http://people.apache.org/~rubys/3party.html>. GPL and
>> LGPL "must not apply to any software within an Apache product", and
>> the MPL requires "requires that the distribution of modifications
>> or derivative works be made available under the same license as the
>> original work".
>>
>> In addition for the MPL, "Code that is more substantial, more
>> volatile, or not directly consumed at runtime in source form may
>> only be distributed in binary form." As the JS shell is just an
>> HTML and a Javascript file, there's no way we could distribute it
>> in binary form, so AFAICT it will need to be nuked completely.
>>
>> Maybe someone with more knowledge of these legal issues can chime
>> in here.
> [...]
>
> This hasn't seen any responses unfortunately.
>
> As far as I can tell the only option is to remove the JS shell
> completely. (Well, the other option would be to write a new one from
> scratch, but hey, let's be realistic.) In my opinion, you can get a
> better shell using Firebug anyway, just browse to the test suite and
> open the inner frame in a separate window.
>
> So I'd say if there are no objections to the removal of the JS shell
> within the next couple of days, I'll go forward with it. And if you
> have objections, you'll need to do the research to make sure there's
> no licencing problem lurking here. ;)
>
> Cheers,
> --
> Christopher Lenz
> cmlenz at gmx.de
> http://www.cmlenz.net/
>
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