[boost] Re: Threads Rewrite?

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-07-30 08:56:14

Vladimir Prus <ghost_at_[hidden]> writes:

> Glen Knowles wrote:
>> > From: Roland [mailto:roland.schwarz_at_[hidden]]
>> >
>> > It is fine to hear, that there are serious attempts now to
>> > move forward with the threads library.
>> >
>> > However it would be too bad if we needed a _complete_ rewrite
>> > of the threading library. Could anyone please drop me some
>> > lines why this should be necessary at all?
>> > Is the new license thus incompatible to the old one?
>>
>> This is entirely about licensing. The thread library needs to be under the
>> boost license and it is not. All attempts to date to contact the copyright
>> holder (William Kempf) have failed, without his permission we are in the
>> position of needing to rewrite it into compliance.
>
> I'm probably missing something, but why? Is current Boost.Thread license 
> violates some of Boost license guidelines? Wasn't the point of BSL to 
> simplify the task of evaluating Boost license for the user? Is so, why can't 
> we have all of Boost under BSL and Boost.Threads under current license? After 
> all, two licenses to evaluate should not be too much.

There are two issues:

1. Having just one consistent license would put to rest many questions
   (like "Boost.Threads uses a different license; why can't I use a
   different license for my library?" and "How can I be sure that
   there aren't other licenses lurking in the Boost sources?")  and
   would be a great deal simpler than having two.  I would really like
   to see us use *one* consistent license, and given the extensive
   work that seems to be planned for the threads library it would be a
   real shame to have the new work make it *harder* to make the
   transition to a single one.

2. It's not our practice to summarily change the maintainership of a
   library without the permission of the original maintainer.  If we
   start with a fresh codebase that problem mostly disappears.

Neither one of these problems is insurmountable, but *if* it's not too
much work it would be preferable to either get a positive response
from Bill or start over from scratch.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
http://www.boost-consulting.com