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Does RealBot "WIP" version have to be open source?
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Whistler
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Default Does RealBot "WIP" version have to be open source? - 19-02-2004

The FSF web site has this:


If a program released under the GPL uses plug-ins, what are the requirements for the licenses of a plug-in.

It depends on how the program invokes its plug-ins. If the program uses fork and exec to invoke plug-ins, then the plug-ins are separate programs, so the license for the main program makes no requirements for them. If the program dynamically links plug-ins, and they make function calls to each other and share data structures, we believe they form a single program, so plug-ins must be treated as extensions to the main program. This means they must be released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible free software license, and that the terms of the GPL must be followed when those plug-ins are distributed.

If the program dynamically links plug-ins, but the communication between them is limited to invoking the `main' function of the plug-in with some options and waiting for it to return, that is a borderline case.



Original location:
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLAndPlugins


Metamod is GPL, and MM plugins, obviously, are "dynamic link" plugins...

Last edited by Whistler; 19-02-2004 at 10:43..
  
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