Re: [boost] Re: Draft of new Boost Software License

From: Kevin Lynch (krlynch_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-06-27 12:59:54

Alisdair Meredith wrote:
> Gregory Colvin wrote:
> 
> 
>>It seems that doing it by reference to a web page amounts to Boost
>>reserving
>>the right to change terms in the future, possibly to the disadvantage
>>of the
>>authors and users.  But I see lots of code that refers to the GPL that
>>way,
>>so this is another question for the lawyers.
> 
> 
> Oh, I'd missed that.  I assumed the link would reference the license in
> the downloaded distribution, rather than the online version.  That way
> you are bound to the license you downloaded, rather than a license
> potentially changing without your notice.
> 

Most licenses solve this issue by version numbering, don't they?  The 
GPL certainly does.  A typical license reference for a GPLed file:

* This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
* modify it under the terms of the GNU Library General Public
* License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
* version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

You wouldn't necessarily want to include the "any later version" clause, 
but boost might want to version the license...

> Plus, not all PCs with Boost distributions are going to have Internet
> connections.  In these cases you really do need to include the license
> with the distribution.  [Especially as you are binding distribution of
> the license as a requirement (in appropriate circumstances)]
> 

I would agree with that.

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin Lynch				voice:	[phone]
Physics Department			Fax: [phone]
Boston University			office:	 PRB-361
590 Commonwealth Ave.			e-mail:	 krlynch_at_[hidden]
Boston, MA 02215 USA			http://budoe.bu.edu/~krlynch
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------