[php-maint] Bug#332618: PHP License

[Charles Fry]

Just to clarify the context of my previous message, in November Pierre
from the Pear Group reported[1] that the PHP License was modified to
address the most severe of our concerns about its freeness. The
resultant license, unlike the previous version, appears to at least
apply equally to PHP and other PHP Group software, such as Pear
packages.

While debian-legal still feels that the license remains problematic, and
it is probably a good idea to encourage your upstream package maintainer
to adopt a new license, it is not entirely clear whether or not these
bugs are truly release critical, assuming that they deal with Pear
packages, which I have not taken the time to verify. The PHP License
clearly remains unacceptable for all non-PHP Group software.

Charles

   1. http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2005/11/msg00260.html

-----Original Message-----
> From: Charles Fry <debian at frogcircus.org>
> Subject: PHP License
> Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 16:10:33 -0500
> 
> I just wanted to make sure that all relevant RC bugs were aware of the
> following debian-legal post by MJ Ray:
> 
>    "The PHP licence could be OK for any software which has PHP Group
>    contribution (regardless who is licensing later), but would require 
>    lying about other software. So, it is possible for others to use it 
>    'freely' when PHP Group was involved upstream and avoid the problem
>    you describe.
> 
>    "Please leave the PHP licence bugs open for software which has no
>    contribution by the PHP Group (which seems true for one or two pear
>    packages IIRC). I don't think the PHP licence can be accepted as
>    always-OK for others yet."
> 
>    http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2005/12/msg00142.html
> 
> Of course his comments are not binding on Debian, but they do express a
> train of thought which has not been satisfactorily refuted on
> debian-legal.
> 
> To summarize the long and continuing thread on "Clarification regarding
> PHP License and DFSG status", there have been many comments questioning
> the freeness of the PHP License, but there has been no refutal to my
> proposal (agreed to by MJ above) that whatever the status of the PHP
> License in Debian, it be applied equally to PHP and PHP Group software.
> 
> cheers,
> Charles
> 
> -- 
> A better buy -- why not try
> Burma-Shave
> http://burma-shave.org/jingles/1939/a_better_buy

-- 
Film protects
Your neck
And chin
So your razor
Won't dig in
Burma-Shave
http://burma-shave.org/jingles/1963/film_protects
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