Mailing-List: contact dev-help@netbeans.incubator.apache.org; run by ezmlm
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: dev@netbeans.incubator.apache.org
MIME-Version: 1.0
From: Bertrand Delacretaz <bdelacretaz@apache.org>
Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2016 16:27:22 +0100
Message-ID: <CAEWfVJn4YPo2kb9FqO4yiCbOAsGwfzqK+c9MTqi=qu7FaJj_Tw@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Optional modules with GPL dependencies (was: What to include/exclude
 in code donation to Apache)
To: dev@netbeans.incubator.apache.org
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
archived-at: Fri, 04 Nov 2016 15:27:30 -0000

Hi,

Creating a new thread as this now off-topic w.r.t to including things
in the donation or not.

On Fri, Nov 4, 2016 at 4:06 PM, Ate Douma <ate@douma.nu> wrote:
> ...The question, as I see it, being:
>
>   Will the Apache NetBeans project be allowed to develop and release
>   a (or more) optional module, the Java Editor module in casu, under the
>   ASL 2.0 license at the ASF, which depends on external 3rd party module
>   nb-javac which is available under the GPL v2 w/ CPE (Category X).
>   End users willing to use the optional module will be required to provide
>   the nb-javac module themselves during installation.
>

I think this is a great way to formulate the issue.

IMO the "can Apache projects rely on components under prohibited
licenses?" section of http://apache.org/legal/resolved.html applies,
and the key question is then whether the external component's license
terms affect the NetBeans product's licensing.

If for example NetBeans depends on GPL licensed APIs that would be an
obstacle IMO.

OTOH if the affected modules can be released under our license with no
impact from those GPL modules everything's fine, IMO.

-Bertrand