Q: licensing suEXEC modifications under GPL?

[gs...@gluelogic.com]

Hi.  I sent this over three weeks ago to the human response email
address at apache.org (and pinged them again a week ago), but have
yet to receive a response.  Would someone on his list please direct
me to whom I should contact?

A synopsis is that I am requesting that Apache release suEXEC under
the GPL.  Notwithstanding your opinions on licensing in general, I
hope that you'll agree that there are large benefits to releasing
*security* software under the GPL.

Thank you.
Glenn Strauss


---------------

Greetings.

suEXEC is a program that I know well, love, and use on numerous servers.
Thank you very much!

To extend its usage, I have largely rewritten it and am in the process
of unit testing.  Among many other things, I have modularized it and
have added an option (off by default) for suEXEC to safely run in a
group environment (with group write privileges).

I would like to make my heavily modified version available under the
GNU Public License and am writing to ask for permission and advice.
(I am not a lawyer and the gnu.org website indicates that the Apache
Software License v1.1 is not compatible with the GPL, but does not
give specific reasons.)

I am hoping that the ASF will consider the merits of suEXEC as a
standalone program that may be used with other webservers and will
consider releasing suEXEC under the GPL.

I have searched through the newsgroup at http://www.apachelabs.org/
and have turned up a number of (not-so-friendly) discussions relating
to licensing (GPL, PHP, GZIP, PCRE, ...), so I have an idea where
the ASF stands on this issue, but I am asking anyway.

Please direct me to where I might find more information on:
  a) what steps I might take to release my modifications under the GPL
     with proper attribution to the Apache Software Foundation.
  b) if the Apache Software Foundation would specifically release
     suEXEC under the GPL or another GPL compatible license.  It is
     a standalone program and so this would not affect anything else
     licensed under the Apache Software License.
  c) other suggestions

Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Glenn Strauss

PS: Yes, I have read:
      http://www.apache.org/foundation/preFAQ.html#licence

    The FAQ answer contains a mistake: there is no section "6" in the
    Apache Software License v1.1

* You have questions about the Apache licence.

If you have sent mail about a licence issue or question, please review
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Re: Q: licensing suEXEC modifications under GPL?

[Jeff Trawick <tr...@attglobal.net>]

gs-apache-dev@gluelogic.com writes:

> A synopsis is that I am requesting that Apache release suEXEC under
> the GPL.  Notwithstanding your opinions on licensing in general, I
> hope that you'll agree that there are large benefits to releasing
> *security* software under the GPL.

[Sun Mar 31 10:19:13 2002] [notice] child pid 12345 exit signal SIGABRT (6)

-- 
Jeff Trawick | trawick@attglobal.net
Born in Roswell... married an alien...

Re: Q: licensing suEXEC modifications under GPL?

[Rodent of Unusual Size <Ke...@Golux.Com>]

gs-apache-dev@gluelogic.com wrote:
> 
> Hi.  I sent this over three weeks ago to the human response email
> address at apache.org (and pinged them again a week ago), but have
> yet to receive a response.  Would someone on his list please direct
> me to whom I should contact?

You already contacted the correct address; the only thing missing
is patience.

An official response is on the way.
-- 
#ken	P-)}

Ken Coar, Sanagendamgagwedweinini  http://Golux.Com/coar/
Author, developer, opinionist      http://Apache-Server.Com/

"Millennium hand and shrimp!"

Re: Q: licensing suEXEC modifications under GPL?

[Cliff Woolley <jw...@apache.org>]

On Sun, 31 Mar 2002 gs-apache-dev@gluelogic.com wrote:

> GNU Public License and am writing to ask for permission and advice.
> (I am not a lawyer and the gnu.org website indicates that the Apache
> Software License v1.1 is not compatible with the GPL, but does not
> give specific reasons.)

The incompatibility is uni-directional.  Code that's licensed under the
Apache license cannot *contain* code licensed GPL because then the entire
program would become GPL (the GPL is *more* restrictive than the Apache
license).  But the other direction is perfectly fine.  If you read the
Apache license carefully, you'll see that it allows you to license
derivative works under whatever license you like (including a
closed-source one), as long as you follow the terms of the license.

I can't personally give you any "official permission", only the Board can
do that.  But what I'm saying is that as long as you follow the terms of
the license, you shouldn't need any special permission.

--Cliff

--------------------------------------------------------------
   Cliff Woolley
   cliffwoolley@yahoo.com
   Charlottesville, VA