[boost] Re: Three questions about the new license

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-02-10 09:46:53

Gennaro Prota <gennaro_prota_at_[hidden]> writes:

> Sorry, if this has already been discussed before, but
>
> a) the new license text says:
>
>  "The copyright notices in the Software and this entire
>   statement, including the above license grant, this restriction
>   and the following disclaimer, must be included in all copies
>   of the Software".
>
>
> IIUC, "the Software" (with a capital 's') includes documentation. Am I
> right?

Do you consider documentation to be software?  I don't.  Documentation
pages, IIUC, should carry the license too if it is to be licensed
under the same terms... but now that I think of it, the wording of
the license isn't very appropriate for "documentation only".  I guess
we'd better ask the lawyer.  Devin?

> b) IIUC again, the comments we are inserting into source files
>
>
> //  Use, modification and distribution are subject to the 
> //  Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying file 
> //  LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
>
>
> are unnecessarily verbose (and potentially dangerous). 

Care to elaborate on why you think it's dangerous?

> One could simply say
>
> // Subject to the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See etc. etc.)

I don't think a _file_ can be subject to a license, can it?  The file
just exists.

> That avoids repeating "use, modification and redistribution" which I'm
> not sure is everything one can do with the Software (I see for
> instance, that the license talks about "use, *reproduce*, *display*,
> distribute, execute, and transmit"). Are, legally speaking, "display"
> and "reproduce" something different from "use"?
>
>
> c) Suppose one wants to redistribute documentation only (for instance,
> documentation for one library). Is that allowed? The license seems to
> say that the docs can only _accompany_ the software (with a lowercase
> 's').

These are interesting questions; let's see what Devin has to say
about them.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
www.boost-consulting.com