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Posted to dev@vcl.apache.org by Aaron Coburn <ac...@amherst.edu> on 2012/08/10 20:35:04 UTC
Licensing question
I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able to give some insight into the licensing details.
Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the Apache license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason that the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be released under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as compatible as possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute this code as well (since there seems to be interest).
Thanks in advance!
Aaron
--
Aaron Coburn
Systems Administrator and Programmer
Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Sam Ruby <ru...@intertwingly.net>.
On Tue, Aug 14, 2012 at 10:41 AM, Aaron Coburn <ac...@amherst.edu> wrote:
>
> To further quote from the GPL FAQ [1]:
>
> "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, which must be treated as an extension of both the main program and the plug-ins. This means the plug-ins 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."
The operative phrase here being "the terms of the GPL must be followed
when those plug-ins are distributed."
This really sounds more like something that would be made available at
Apache Extras:
http://community.apache.org/apache-extras/faq.html
- Sam Ruby
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Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Aaron Coburn <ac...@amherst.edu>.
Hi, Aahit,
Thank you for the information.
> For your understanding please read - "It depends on how the program invokes its plug-ins. For instance, if the program uses only simple fork and exec to invoke and communicate with plug-ins, then the plug-ins are separate programs, so the license of the plug-in makes no requirements about the main program.
> 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, which must be treated as an extension of both the main program and the plug-ins. In order to use the GPL-covered plug-ins, the main program must be released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible free software license, and that the terms of the GPL must be followed when the main program is distributed for use with these plug-ins."
To further quote from the GPL FAQ [1]:
"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, which must be treated as an extension of both the main program and the plug-ins. This means the plug-ins 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."
According to this, the plugin would need to be licensed under either the GPL or "a GPL-compatible free software license". Because the FSF lists the Apache 2.0 license as being compatible with version 3 of the GPL [2], then it appears to me that releasing the plugin under the Apache license would be permitted.
Unless you understand that differently, I will plan to release the Moodle plugin under the Apache 2.0 license.
Regards,
Aaron
(1) http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html
(2) http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLCompatibleLicenses
> Please find below the figure which explains this in two fold:
>
>
>
> <image.png>
>
>
> Let me know if you need any further inputs from me.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Aahit Gaba
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Aug 13, 2012 at 7:04 PM, Aaron Coburn <ac...@amherst.edu> wrote:
> Thanks, Aahit,
> This confirms what I have read, namely that any Moodle plugin must be licensed under the GPL.
>
> IANAL, but it is pretty clear that the plugin depends entirely on the Moodle infrastructure, runs inside of the Moodle system and uses the Moodle address space -- it is, in effect, "linked" to Moodle and thus generally understood to be a "derivative work".
>
> As I understand it, this does not affect the licensing of the VCL, since the Moodle plugin and the VCL system only transfer data.
>
> The secondary question is whether the VCL project can properly distribute GPL code. Clearly, this cannot be part of any VCL release. But can the VCL project distribute the plugin from its website, or should I make this available from some independent location?
>
> Thanks,
> Aaron
>
>
>
>
>
> On Aug 13, 2012, at 3:13 AM, Aahit wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > Plugin can be licensed under Apache 2.0 if it is communicating through
> > systems calls to Moodle. As per GPL, linking can create a derivative; hence
> > there is an incompatibility issue arises with apache.
> >
> >
> > If plugin is communicating through custom calls to XMLRPC API, that is a
> > derivative work according to GPL 3.0 license.
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Aahit
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Aug 11, 2012 at 12:17 AM, Josh Thompson <jo...@ncsu.edu>wrote:
> >
> >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> >> Hash: SHA1
> >>
> >> Aaron,
> >>
> >> I'm think you can license your plugin for Moodle under whatever license you
> >> want, as long as it wasn't an extension of existing Moodle code.
> >>
> >> I've cc'd the legal list to verify this is correct.
> >>
> >> Legal list - a little more background: VCL is a cloud provisioning system.
> >> It has an XMLRPC API that allows other systems to interact with it. Aaron
> >> Coburn has written a plugin for Moodle that allows a user to make a
> >> reservation in VCL via a Moodle site. He would like to contribute this
> >> plugin
> >> to the VCL project.
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >> Josh
> >>
> >> On Friday, August 10, 2012 6:35:04 PM Aaron Coburn wrote:
> >>> I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with
> >>> version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able to
> >>> give some insight into the licensing details.
> >>>
> >>> Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the
> >> Apache
> >>> license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason
> >> that
> >>> the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be
> >> released
> >>> under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as compatible
> >> as
> >>> possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute
> >> this
> >>> code as well (since there seems to be interest).
> >>>
> >>> Thanks in advance!
> >>>
> >>> Aaron
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> Aaron Coburn
> >>> Systems Administrator and Programmer
> >>> Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
> >>> acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
> >> - --
> >> - -------------------------------
> >> Josh Thompson
> >> VCL Developer
> >> North Carolina State University
> >>
> >> my GPG/PGP key can be found at pgp.mit.edu
> >>
> >> All electronic mail messages in connection with State business which
> >> are sent to or received by this account are subject to the NC Public
> >> Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
> >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
> >> Version: GnuPG v2.0.17 (GNU/Linux)
> >>
> >> iEYEARECAAYFAlAlV00ACgkQV/LQcNdtPQPoawCfWTvRFkONXjmnDXo5YrPPutSd
> >> pWwAmwYBhXFPTFE++E3GAK5sHXAXjmux
> >> =M+Vl
> >> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
> >>
> >>
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: legal-discuss-unsubscribe@apache.org
> >> For additional commands, e-mail: legal-discuss-help@apache.org
> >>
> >>
>
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Aaron Coburn <ac...@amherst.edu>.
Hi, Aahit,
Thank you for the information.
> For your understanding please read - "It depends on how the program invokes its plug-ins. For instance, if the program uses only simple fork and exec to invoke and communicate with plug-ins, then the plug-ins are separate programs, so the license of the plug-in makes no requirements about the main program.
> 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, which must be treated as an extension of both the main program and the plug-ins. In order to use the GPL-covered plug-ins, the main program must be released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible free software license, and that the terms of the GPL must be followed when the main program is distributed for use with these plug-ins."
To further quote from the GPL FAQ [1]:
"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, which must be treated as an extension of both the main program and the plug-ins. This means the plug-ins 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."
According to this, the plugin would need to be licensed under either the GPL or "a GPL-compatible free software license". Because the FSF lists the Apache 2.0 license as being compatible with version 3 of the GPL [2], then it appears to me that releasing the plugin under the Apache license would be permitted.
Unless you understand that differently, I will plan to release the Moodle plugin under the Apache 2.0 license.
Regards,
Aaron
(1) http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html
(2) http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLCompatibleLicenses
> Please find below the figure which explains this in two fold:
>
>
>
> <image.png>
>
>
> Let me know if you need any further inputs from me.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Aahit Gaba
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Aug 13, 2012 at 7:04 PM, Aaron Coburn <ac...@amherst.edu> wrote:
> Thanks, Aahit,
> This confirms what I have read, namely that any Moodle plugin must be licensed under the GPL.
>
> IANAL, but it is pretty clear that the plugin depends entirely on the Moodle infrastructure, runs inside of the Moodle system and uses the Moodle address space -- it is, in effect, "linked" to Moodle and thus generally understood to be a "derivative work".
>
> As I understand it, this does not affect the licensing of the VCL, since the Moodle plugin and the VCL system only transfer data.
>
> The secondary question is whether the VCL project can properly distribute GPL code. Clearly, this cannot be part of any VCL release. But can the VCL project distribute the plugin from its website, or should I make this available from some independent location?
>
> Thanks,
> Aaron
>
>
>
>
>
> On Aug 13, 2012, at 3:13 AM, Aahit wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > Plugin can be licensed under Apache 2.0 if it is communicating through
> > systems calls to Moodle. As per GPL, linking can create a derivative; hence
> > there is an incompatibility issue arises with apache.
> >
> >
> > If plugin is communicating through custom calls to XMLRPC API, that is a
> > derivative work according to GPL 3.0 license.
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Aahit
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Aug 11, 2012 at 12:17 AM, Josh Thompson <jo...@ncsu.edu>wrote:
> >
> >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> >> Hash: SHA1
> >>
> >> Aaron,
> >>
> >> I'm think you can license your plugin for Moodle under whatever license you
> >> want, as long as it wasn't an extension of existing Moodle code.
> >>
> >> I've cc'd the legal list to verify this is correct.
> >>
> >> Legal list - a little more background: VCL is a cloud provisioning system.
> >> It has an XMLRPC API that allows other systems to interact with it. Aaron
> >> Coburn has written a plugin for Moodle that allows a user to make a
> >> reservation in VCL via a Moodle site. He would like to contribute this
> >> plugin
> >> to the VCL project.
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >> Josh
> >>
> >> On Friday, August 10, 2012 6:35:04 PM Aaron Coburn wrote:
> >>> I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with
> >>> version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able to
> >>> give some insight into the licensing details.
> >>>
> >>> Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the
> >> Apache
> >>> license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason
> >> that
> >>> the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be
> >> released
> >>> under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as compatible
> >> as
> >>> possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute
> >> this
> >>> code as well (since there seems to be interest).
> >>>
> >>> Thanks in advance!
> >>>
> >>> Aaron
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> Aaron Coburn
> >>> Systems Administrator and Programmer
> >>> Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
> >>> acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
> >> - --
> >> - -------------------------------
> >> Josh Thompson
> >> VCL Developer
> >> North Carolina State University
> >>
> >> my GPG/PGP key can be found at pgp.mit.edu
> >>
> >> All electronic mail messages in connection with State business which
> >> are sent to or received by this account are subject to the NC Public
> >> Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
> >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
> >> Version: GnuPG v2.0.17 (GNU/Linux)
> >>
> >> iEYEARECAAYFAlAlV00ACgkQV/LQcNdtPQPoawCfWTvRFkONXjmnDXo5YrPPutSd
> >> pWwAmwYBhXFPTFE++E3GAK5sHXAXjmux
> >> =M+Vl
> >> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
> >>
> >>
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: legal-discuss-unsubscribe@apache.org
> >> For additional commands, e-mail: legal-discuss-help@apache.org
> >>
> >>
>
>
Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Aahit <aa...@gmail.com>.
Hi Aaron,
For your understanding please read - "It depends on how the program invokes
its plug-ins. For instance, if the program uses only simple fork and exec
to invoke and communicate with plug-ins, then the plug-ins are separate
programs, so the license of the plug-in makes no requirements about the
main program.
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, which must be treated as an extension of both the main program and
the plug-ins. In order to use the GPL-covered plug-ins, the main program
must be released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible free software license,
and that the terms of the GPL must be followed when the main program is
distributed for use with these plug-ins."
Please find below the figure which explains this in two fold:
[image: Inline image 2]
Let me know if you need any further inputs from me.
Regards,
Aahit Gaba
On Mon, Aug 13, 2012 at 7:04 PM, Aaron Coburn <ac...@amherst.edu> wrote:
> Thanks, Aahit,
> This confirms what I have read, namely that any Moodle plugin must be
> licensed under the GPL.
>
> IANAL, but it is pretty clear that the plugin depends entirely on the
> Moodle infrastructure, runs inside of the Moodle system and uses the Moodle
> address space -- it is, in effect, "linked" to Moodle and thus generally
> understood to be a "derivative work".
>
> As I understand it, this does not affect the licensing of the VCL, since
> the Moodle plugin and the VCL system only transfer data.
>
> The secondary question is whether the VCL project can properly distribute
> GPL code. Clearly, this cannot be part of any VCL release. But can the VCL
> project distribute the plugin from its website, or should I make this
> available from some independent location?
>
> Thanks,
> Aaron
>
>
>
>
>
> On Aug 13, 2012, at 3:13 AM, Aahit wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > Plugin can be licensed under Apache 2.0 if it is communicating through
> > systems calls to Moodle. As per GPL, linking can create a derivative;
> hence
> > there is an incompatibility issue arises with apache.
> >
> >
> > If plugin is communicating through custom calls to XMLRPC API, that is a
> > derivative work according to GPL 3.0 license.
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Aahit
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Aug 11, 2012 at 12:17 AM, Josh Thompson <josh_thompson@ncsu.edu
> >wrote:
> >
> >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> >> Hash: SHA1
> >>
> >> Aaron,
> >>
> >> I'm think you can license your plugin for Moodle under whatever license
> you
> >> want, as long as it wasn't an extension of existing Moodle code.
> >>
> >> I've cc'd the legal list to verify this is correct.
> >>
> >> Legal list - a little more background: VCL is a cloud provisioning
> system.
> >> It has an XMLRPC API that allows other systems to interact with it.
> Aaron
> >> Coburn has written a plugin for Moodle that allows a user to make a
> >> reservation in VCL via a Moodle site. He would like to contribute this
> >> plugin
> >> to the VCL project.
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >> Josh
> >>
> >> On Friday, August 10, 2012 6:35:04 PM Aaron Coburn wrote:
> >>> I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with
> >>> version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able
> to
> >>> give some insight into the licensing details.
> >>>
> >>> Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the
> >> Apache
> >>> license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason
> >> that
> >>> the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be
> >> released
> >>> under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as
> compatible
> >> as
> >>> possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute
> >> this
> >>> code as well (since there seems to be interest).
> >>>
> >>> Thanks in advance!
> >>>
> >>> Aaron
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> Aaron Coburn
> >>> Systems Administrator and Programmer
> >>> Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
> >>> acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
> >> - --
> >> - -------------------------------
> >> Josh Thompson
> >> VCL Developer
> >> North Carolina State University
> >>
> >> my GPG/PGP key can be found at pgp.mit.edu
> >>
> >> All electronic mail messages in connection with State business which
> >> are sent to or received by this account are subject to the NC Public
> >> Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
> >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
> >> Version: GnuPG v2.0.17 (GNU/Linux)
> >>
> >> iEYEARECAAYFAlAlV00ACgkQV/LQcNdtPQPoawCfWTvRFkONXjmnDXo5YrPPutSd
> >> pWwAmwYBhXFPTFE++E3GAK5sHXAXjmux
> >> =M+Vl
> >> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
> >>
> >>
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: legal-discuss-unsubscribe@apache.org
> >> For additional commands, e-mail: legal-discuss-help@apache.org
> >>
> >>
>
>
Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Aahit <aa...@gmail.com>.
Hi Aaron,
For your understanding please read - "It depends on how the program invokes
its plug-ins. For instance, if the program uses only simple fork and exec
to invoke and communicate with plug-ins, then the plug-ins are separate
programs, so the license of the plug-in makes no requirements about the
main program.
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, which must be treated as an extension of both the main program and
the plug-ins. In order to use the GPL-covered plug-ins, the main program
must be released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible free software license,
and that the terms of the GPL must be followed when the main program is
distributed for use with these plug-ins."
Please find below the figure which explains this in two fold:
[image: Inline image 2]
Let me know if you need any further inputs from me.
Regards,
Aahit Gaba
On Mon, Aug 13, 2012 at 7:04 PM, Aaron Coburn <ac...@amherst.edu> wrote:
> Thanks, Aahit,
> This confirms what I have read, namely that any Moodle plugin must be
> licensed under the GPL.
>
> IANAL, but it is pretty clear that the plugin depends entirely on the
> Moodle infrastructure, runs inside of the Moodle system and uses the Moodle
> address space -- it is, in effect, "linked" to Moodle and thus generally
> understood to be a "derivative work".
>
> As I understand it, this does not affect the licensing of the VCL, since
> the Moodle plugin and the VCL system only transfer data.
>
> The secondary question is whether the VCL project can properly distribute
> GPL code. Clearly, this cannot be part of any VCL release. But can the VCL
> project distribute the plugin from its website, or should I make this
> available from some independent location?
>
> Thanks,
> Aaron
>
>
>
>
>
> On Aug 13, 2012, at 3:13 AM, Aahit wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > Plugin can be licensed under Apache 2.0 if it is communicating through
> > systems calls to Moodle. As per GPL, linking can create a derivative;
> hence
> > there is an incompatibility issue arises with apache.
> >
> >
> > If plugin is communicating through custom calls to XMLRPC API, that is a
> > derivative work according to GPL 3.0 license.
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Aahit
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Aug 11, 2012 at 12:17 AM, Josh Thompson <josh_thompson@ncsu.edu
> >wrote:
> >
> >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> >> Hash: SHA1
> >>
> >> Aaron,
> >>
> >> I'm think you can license your plugin for Moodle under whatever license
> you
> >> want, as long as it wasn't an extension of existing Moodle code.
> >>
> >> I've cc'd the legal list to verify this is correct.
> >>
> >> Legal list - a little more background: VCL is a cloud provisioning
> system.
> >> It has an XMLRPC API that allows other systems to interact with it.
> Aaron
> >> Coburn has written a plugin for Moodle that allows a user to make a
> >> reservation in VCL via a Moodle site. He would like to contribute this
> >> plugin
> >> to the VCL project.
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >> Josh
> >>
> >> On Friday, August 10, 2012 6:35:04 PM Aaron Coburn wrote:
> >>> I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with
> >>> version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able
> to
> >>> give some insight into the licensing details.
> >>>
> >>> Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the
> >> Apache
> >>> license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason
> >> that
> >>> the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be
> >> released
> >>> under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as
> compatible
> >> as
> >>> possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute
> >> this
> >>> code as well (since there seems to be interest).
> >>>
> >>> Thanks in advance!
> >>>
> >>> Aaron
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> Aaron Coburn
> >>> Systems Administrator and Programmer
> >>> Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
> >>> acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
> >> - --
> >> - -------------------------------
> >> Josh Thompson
> >> VCL Developer
> >> North Carolina State University
> >>
> >> my GPG/PGP key can be found at pgp.mit.edu
> >>
> >> All electronic mail messages in connection with State business which
> >> are sent to or received by this account are subject to the NC Public
> >> Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
> >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
> >> Version: GnuPG v2.0.17 (GNU/Linux)
> >>
> >> iEYEARECAAYFAlAlV00ACgkQV/LQcNdtPQPoawCfWTvRFkONXjmnDXo5YrPPutSd
> >> pWwAmwYBhXFPTFE++E3GAK5sHXAXjmux
> >> =M+Vl
> >> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
> >>
> >>
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: legal-discuss-unsubscribe@apache.org
> >> For additional commands, e-mail: legal-discuss-help@apache.org
> >>
> >>
>
>
Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by James O'Dell <jo...@fullerton.edu>.
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
I suspect hosting content under Apache Extras will be a problem. Moodle
has moved away from other repositories, and now actively uses only GIT.
Apache Extras does not support GIT.
I suggest hosting it on github.com like most of the other Moodle
plugins, and maybe provide a link in Apache Extras.
__Jim
On 8/14/2012 2:40 PM, Kevan Miller wrote:
>
> On Aug 13, 2012, at 9:34 AM, Aaron Coburn wrote:
>
>> Thanks, Aahit,
>> This confirms what I have read, namely that any Moodle plugin must be licensed under the GPL.
>>
>> IANAL, but it is pretty clear that the plugin depends entirely on the Moodle infrastructure, runs inside of the Moodle system and uses the Moodle address space -- it is, in effect, "linked" to Moodle and thus generally understood to be a "derivative work".
>>
>> As I understand it, this does not affect the licensing of the VCL, since the Moodle plugin and the VCL system only transfer data.
>>
>> The secondary question is whether the VCL project can properly distribute GPL code. Clearly, this cannot be part of any VCL release. But can the VCL project distribute the plugin from its website, or should I make this available from some independent location?
>
> From http://apache.org/legal/resolved.html#category-x , the answer is pretty clearly no.
>
> This seems like a good candidate for Apache Extras -- http://community.apache.org/apache-extras/faq.html
>
> --kevan
>
- --
Jim O'Dell
Network Analyst
California State University Fullerton
Email: jodell@fullerton.edu
Phone: (657) 278-2256
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sQ8AoNtTTuYYJXKmRJ6PCml3Fk3tFWg1
=UIlN
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Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Aaron Coburn <ac...@amherst.edu>.
Kevan, et al.
Thanks everyone for the advice and suggestions about licensing the VCL moodle plugin.
For a variety of reasons, I will be releasing the moodle plugin under the GPL v3, keeping this as an entirely separate and independent project (from the point of view of the VCL). Since there is no shared (or linked) code between the two projects, this will have no effect on how the VCL is licensed. The code for this plugin will be made available on github.com<http://github.com> and also from the moodle plugin site.
Just to be clear -- it will not be distributed from the ASF VCL site, nor will it be (officially) supported by the VCL project.
As a courtesy, though, I will inform the VCL users and dev lists once the code has been released.
Aaron
--
Aaron Coburn
Systems Administrator and Programmer
Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
On Aug 22, 2012, at 4:40 PM, Kevan Miller wrote:
On Aug 14, 2012, at 6:22 PM, Aaron Coburn wrote:
Kevin,
Are you sure that it is not possible to release the code under the Apache 2.0 license?
According to the FSF, the requirement on plugins to GPL software is that the plugin be GPL or GPL-compatible:
please see: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLModuleLicense
and: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLAndPlugins
And also according to the FSF, the Apache 2.0 license is compatible with the GPL v3:
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLCompatibleLicenses
My reading of all this is that the plugin could be released under the Apache 2.0 license.
Aaron
On Aug 14, 2012, at 5:40 PM, Kevan Miller wrote:
On Aug 13, 2012, at 9:34 AM, Aaron Coburn wrote:
Thanks, Aahit,
This confirms what I have read, namely that any Moodle plugin must be licensed under the GPL.
IANAL, but it is pretty clear that the plugin depends entirely on the Moodle infrastructure, runs inside of the Moodle system and uses the Moodle address space -- it is, in effect, "linked" to Moodle and thus generally understood to be a "derivative work".
As I understand it, this does not affect the licensing of the VCL, since the Moodle plugin and the VCL system only transfer data.
The secondary question is whether the VCL project can properly distribute GPL code. Clearly, this cannot be part of any VCL release. But can the VCL project distribute the plugin from its website, or should I make this available from some independent location?
>From http://apache.org/legal/resolved.html#category-x , the answer is pretty clearly no.
This seems like a good candidate for Apache Extras -- http://community.apache.org/apache-extras/faq.html
Hi Aaron,
I was responding to the content of your email from the 13th. IIRC, the guidance from legal-discuss was that you should explore non-ASF routes for releasing the software.
I haven't looked at the specifics of Moodle and plugin licensing. I don't have a lot of time to do so, at the moment...
What is it that you'd like to "release" from the ASF? AL v2 source code? that users then build and package with Moodle? What GPL license is Moodle licensed under? How are you interpreting "the terms of the GPL must be followed when those plug-ins are distributed"?
--kevan
Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Kevan Miller <ke...@gmail.com>.
On Aug 14, 2012, at 6:22 PM, Aaron Coburn wrote:
> Kevin,
> Are you sure that it is not possible to release the code under the Apache 2.0 license?
>
> According to the FSF, the requirement on plugins to GPL software is that the plugin be GPL or GPL-compatible:
>
> please see: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLModuleLicense
> and: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLAndPlugins
>
> And also according to the FSF, the Apache 2.0 license is compatible with the GPL v3:
>
> http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLCompatibleLicenses
>
> My reading of all this is that the plugin could be released under the Apache 2.0 license.
>
> Aaron
>
>
>
> On Aug 14, 2012, at 5:40 PM, Kevan Miller wrote:
>
>>
>> On Aug 13, 2012, at 9:34 AM, Aaron Coburn wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks, Aahit,
>>> This confirms what I have read, namely that any Moodle plugin must be licensed under the GPL.
>>>
>>> IANAL, but it is pretty clear that the plugin depends entirely on the Moodle infrastructure, runs inside of the Moodle system and uses the Moodle address space -- it is, in effect, "linked" to Moodle and thus generally understood to be a "derivative work".
>>>
>>> As I understand it, this does not affect the licensing of the VCL, since the Moodle plugin and the VCL system only transfer data.
>>>
>>> The secondary question is whether the VCL project can properly distribute GPL code. Clearly, this cannot be part of any VCL release. But can the VCL project distribute the plugin from its website, or should I make this available from some independent location?
>>
>> From http://apache.org/legal/resolved.html#category-x , the answer is pretty clearly no.
>>
>> This seems like a good candidate for Apache Extras -- http://community.apache.org/apache-extras/faq.html
Hi Aaron,
I was responding to the content of your email from the 13th. IIRC, the guidance from legal-discuss was that you should explore non-ASF routes for releasing the software.
I haven't looked at the specifics of Moodle and plugin licensing. I don't have a lot of time to do so, at the moment...
What is it that you'd like to "release" from the ASF? AL v2 source code? that users then build and package with Moodle? What GPL license is Moodle licensed under? How are you interpreting "the terms of the GPL must be followed when those plug-ins are distributed"?
--kevan
Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Aaron Coburn <ac...@amherst.edu>.
Kevin,
Are you sure that it is not possible to release the code under the Apache 2.0 license?
According to the FSF, the requirement on plugins to GPL software is that the plugin be GPL or GPL-compatible:
please see: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLModuleLicense
and: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLAndPlugins
And also according to the FSF, the Apache 2.0 license is compatible with the GPL v3:
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLCompatibleLicenses
My reading of all this is that the plugin could be released under the Apache 2.0 license.
Aaron
On Aug 14, 2012, at 5:40 PM, Kevan Miller wrote:
>
> On Aug 13, 2012, at 9:34 AM, Aaron Coburn wrote:
>
>> Thanks, Aahit,
>> This confirms what I have read, namely that any Moodle plugin must be licensed under the GPL.
>>
>> IANAL, but it is pretty clear that the plugin depends entirely on the Moodle infrastructure, runs inside of the Moodle system and uses the Moodle address space -- it is, in effect, "linked" to Moodle and thus generally understood to be a "derivative work".
>>
>> As I understand it, this does not affect the licensing of the VCL, since the Moodle plugin and the VCL system only transfer data.
>>
>> The secondary question is whether the VCL project can properly distribute GPL code. Clearly, this cannot be part of any VCL release. But can the VCL project distribute the plugin from its website, or should I make this available from some independent location?
>
> From http://apache.org/legal/resolved.html#category-x , the answer is pretty clearly no.
>
> This seems like a good candidate for Apache Extras -- http://community.apache.org/apache-extras/faq.html
>
> --kevan
Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Kevan Miller <ke...@gmail.com>.
On Aug 13, 2012, at 9:34 AM, Aaron Coburn wrote:
> Thanks, Aahit,
> This confirms what I have read, namely that any Moodle plugin must be licensed under the GPL.
>
> IANAL, but it is pretty clear that the plugin depends entirely on the Moodle infrastructure, runs inside of the Moodle system and uses the Moodle address space -- it is, in effect, "linked" to Moodle and thus generally understood to be a "derivative work".
>
> As I understand it, this does not affect the licensing of the VCL, since the Moodle plugin and the VCL system only transfer data.
>
> The secondary question is whether the VCL project can properly distribute GPL code. Clearly, this cannot be part of any VCL release. But can the VCL project distribute the plugin from its website, or should I make this available from some independent location?
From http://apache.org/legal/resolved.html#category-x , the answer is pretty clearly no.
This seems like a good candidate for Apache Extras -- http://community.apache.org/apache-extras/faq.html
--kevan
Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Aaron Coburn <ac...@amherst.edu>.
Thanks, Aahit,
This confirms what I have read, namely that any Moodle plugin must be licensed under the GPL.
IANAL, but it is pretty clear that the plugin depends entirely on the Moodle infrastructure, runs inside of the Moodle system and uses the Moodle address space -- it is, in effect, "linked" to Moodle and thus generally understood to be a "derivative work".
As I understand it, this does not affect the licensing of the VCL, since the Moodle plugin and the VCL system only transfer data.
The secondary question is whether the VCL project can properly distribute GPL code. Clearly, this cannot be part of any VCL release. But can the VCL project distribute the plugin from its website, or should I make this available from some independent location?
Thanks,
Aaron
On Aug 13, 2012, at 3:13 AM, Aahit wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Plugin can be licensed under Apache 2.0 if it is communicating through
> systems calls to Moodle. As per GPL, linking can create a derivative; hence
> there is an incompatibility issue arises with apache.
>
>
> If plugin is communicating through custom calls to XMLRPC API, that is a
> derivative work according to GPL 3.0 license.
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Aahit
>
>
>
> On Sat, Aug 11, 2012 at 12:17 AM, Josh Thompson <jo...@ncsu.edu>wrote:
>
>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>> Hash: SHA1
>>
>> Aaron,
>>
>> I'm think you can license your plugin for Moodle under whatever license you
>> want, as long as it wasn't an extension of existing Moodle code.
>>
>> I've cc'd the legal list to verify this is correct.
>>
>> Legal list - a little more background: VCL is a cloud provisioning system.
>> It has an XMLRPC API that allows other systems to interact with it. Aaron
>> Coburn has written a plugin for Moodle that allows a user to make a
>> reservation in VCL via a Moodle site. He would like to contribute this
>> plugin
>> to the VCL project.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Josh
>>
>> On Friday, August 10, 2012 6:35:04 PM Aaron Coburn wrote:
>>> I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with
>>> version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able to
>>> give some insight into the licensing details.
>>>
>>> Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the
>> Apache
>>> license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason
>> that
>>> the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be
>> released
>>> under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as compatible
>> as
>>> possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute
>> this
>>> code as well (since there seems to be interest).
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance!
>>>
>>> Aaron
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Aaron Coburn
>>> Systems Administrator and Programmer
>>> Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
>>> acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
>> - --
>> - -------------------------------
>> Josh Thompson
>> VCL Developer
>> North Carolina State University
>>
>> my GPG/PGP key can be found at pgp.mit.edu
>>
>> All electronic mail messages in connection with State business which
>> are sent to or received by this account are subject to the NC Public
>> Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
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>>
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>> pWwAmwYBhXFPTFE++E3GAK5sHXAXjmux
>> =M+Vl
>> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> To unsubscribe, e-mail: legal-discuss-unsubscribe@apache.org
>> For additional commands, e-mail: legal-discuss-help@apache.org
>>
>>
Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Aahit <aa...@gmail.com>.
Hi,
Plugin can be licensed under Apache 2.0 if it is communicating through
systems calls to Moodle. As per GPL, linking can create a derivative; hence
there is an incompatibility issue arises with apache.
If plugin is communicating through custom calls to XMLRPC API, that is a
derivative work according to GPL 3.0 license.
Regards,
Aahit
On Sat, Aug 11, 2012 at 12:17 AM, Josh Thompson <jo...@ncsu.edu>wrote:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> Aaron,
>
> I'm think you can license your plugin for Moodle under whatever license you
> want, as long as it wasn't an extension of existing Moodle code.
>
> I've cc'd the legal list to verify this is correct.
>
> Legal list - a little more background: VCL is a cloud provisioning system.
> It has an XMLRPC API that allows other systems to interact with it. Aaron
> Coburn has written a plugin for Moodle that allows a user to make a
> reservation in VCL via a Moodle site. He would like to contribute this
> plugin
> to the VCL project.
>
> Thanks,
> Josh
>
> On Friday, August 10, 2012 6:35:04 PM Aaron Coburn wrote:
> > I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with
> > version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able to
> > give some insight into the licensing details.
> >
> > Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the
> Apache
> > license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason
> that
> > the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be
> released
> > under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as compatible
> as
> > possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute
> this
> > code as well (since there seems to be interest).
> >
> > Thanks in advance!
> >
> > Aaron
> >
> >
> > --
> > Aaron Coburn
> > Systems Administrator and Programmer
> > Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
> > acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
> - --
> - -------------------------------
> Josh Thompson
> VCL Developer
> North Carolina State University
>
> my GPG/PGP key can be found at pgp.mit.edu
>
> All electronic mail messages in connection with State business which
> are sent to or received by this account are subject to the NC Public
> Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
> Version: GnuPG v2.0.17 (GNU/Linux)
>
> iEYEARECAAYFAlAlV00ACgkQV/LQcNdtPQPoawCfWTvRFkONXjmnDXo5YrPPutSd
> pWwAmwYBhXFPTFE++E3GAK5sHXAXjmux
> =M+Vl
> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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>
>
Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Sam Ruby <ru...@intertwingly.net>.
On Fri, Aug 10, 2012 at 2:47 PM, Josh Thompson <jo...@ncsu.edu> wrote:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> Aaron,
>
> I'm think you can license your plugin for Moodle under whatever license you
> want, as long as it wasn't an extension of existing Moodle code.
>
> I've cc'd the legal list to verify this is correct.
Does it in any way link to Moodle?
Recommended reading:
http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=135896
> Legal list - a little more background: VCL is a cloud provisioning system.
> It has an XMLRPC API that allows other systems to interact with it. Aaron
> Coburn has written a plugin for Moodle that allows a user to make a
> reservation in VCL via a Moodle site. He would like to contribute this plugin
> to the VCL project.
How the Moodle plugin interaces with VCL isn't the question, what
matters is whether or not it links into Moodle.
> Thanks,
> Josh
- Sam Ruby
> On Friday, August 10, 2012 6:35:04 PM Aaron Coburn wrote:
>> I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with
>> version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able to
>> give some insight into the licensing details.
>>
>> Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the Apache
>> license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason that
>> the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be released
>> under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as compatible as
>> possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute this
>> code as well (since there seems to be interest).
>>
>> Thanks in advance!
>>
>> Aaron
>>
>>
>> --
>> Aaron Coburn
>> Systems Administrator and Programmer
>> Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
>> acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
> - --
> - -------------------------------
> Josh Thompson
> VCL Developer
> North Carolina State University
>
> my GPG/PGP key can be found at pgp.mit.edu
>
> All electronic mail messages in connection with State business which
> are sent to or received by this account are subject to the NC Public
> Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
> Version: GnuPG v2.0.17 (GNU/Linux)
>
> iEYEARECAAYFAlAlV00ACgkQV/LQcNdtPQPoawCfWTvRFkONXjmnDXo5YrPPutSd
> pWwAmwYBhXFPTFE++E3GAK5sHXAXjmux
> =M+Vl
> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: legal-discuss-unsubscribe@apache.org
> For additional commands, e-mail: legal-discuss-help@apache.org
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Aahit <aa...@gmail.com>.
Hi,
Plugin can be licensed under Apache 2.0 if it is communicating through
systems calls to Moodle. As per GPL, linking can create a derivative; hence
there is an incompatibility issue arises with apache.
If plugin is communicating through custom calls to XMLRPC API, that is a
derivative work according to GPL 3.0 license.
Regards,
Aahit
On Sat, Aug 11, 2012 at 12:17 AM, Josh Thompson <jo...@ncsu.edu>wrote:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> Aaron,
>
> I'm think you can license your plugin for Moodle under whatever license you
> want, as long as it wasn't an extension of existing Moodle code.
>
> I've cc'd the legal list to verify this is correct.
>
> Legal list - a little more background: VCL is a cloud provisioning system.
> It has an XMLRPC API that allows other systems to interact with it. Aaron
> Coburn has written a plugin for Moodle that allows a user to make a
> reservation in VCL via a Moodle site. He would like to contribute this
> plugin
> to the VCL project.
>
> Thanks,
> Josh
>
> On Friday, August 10, 2012 6:35:04 PM Aaron Coburn wrote:
> > I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with
> > version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able to
> > give some insight into the licensing details.
> >
> > Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the
> Apache
> > license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason
> that
> > the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be
> released
> > under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as compatible
> as
> > possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute
> this
> > code as well (since there seems to be interest).
> >
> > Thanks in advance!
> >
> > Aaron
> >
> >
> > --
> > Aaron Coburn
> > Systems Administrator and Programmer
> > Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
> > acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
> - --
> - -------------------------------
> Josh Thompson
> VCL Developer
> North Carolina State University
>
> my GPG/PGP key can be found at pgp.mit.edu
>
> All electronic mail messages in connection with State business which
> are sent to or received by this account are subject to the NC Public
> Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
> Version: GnuPG v2.0.17 (GNU/Linux)
>
> iEYEARECAAYFAlAlV00ACgkQV/LQcNdtPQPoawCfWTvRFkONXjmnDXo5YrPPutSd
> pWwAmwYBhXFPTFE++E3GAK5sHXAXjmux
> =M+Vl
> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: legal-discuss-unsubscribe@apache.org
> For additional commands, e-mail: legal-discuss-help@apache.org
>
>
Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Josh Thompson <jo...@ncsu.edu>.
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
Aaron,
I'm think you can license your plugin for Moodle under whatever license you
want, as long as it wasn't an extension of existing Moodle code.
I've cc'd the legal list to verify this is correct.
Legal list - a little more background: VCL is a cloud provisioning system.
It has an XMLRPC API that allows other systems to interact with it. Aaron
Coburn has written a plugin for Moodle that allows a user to make a
reservation in VCL via a Moodle site. He would like to contribute this plugin
to the VCL project.
Thanks,
Josh
On Friday, August 10, 2012 6:35:04 PM Aaron Coburn wrote:
> I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with
> version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able to
> give some insight into the licensing details.
>
> Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the Apache
> license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason that
> the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be released
> under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as compatible as
> possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute this
> code as well (since there seems to be interest).
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Aaron
>
>
> --
> Aaron Coburn
> Systems Administrator and Programmer
> Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
> acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
- --
- -------------------------------
Josh Thompson
VCL Developer
North Carolina State University
my GPG/PGP key can be found at pgp.mit.edu
All electronic mail messages in connection with State business which
are sent to or received by this account are subject to the NC Public
Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
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pWwAmwYBhXFPTFE++E3GAK5sHXAXjmux
=M+Vl
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Re: Licensing question
Posted by Aaron Coburn <ac...@amherst.edu>.
The VCL block is an optional (non-core) extension to Moodle, which itself in completely independent of the VCL project. That is, there is no dependency relationship between the two projects.
It just happens that many campuses that run the VCL also run an instance of Moodle (a learning management system). The code I am referring to runs inside of Moodle (as an extension) and communicates with the VCL over its XML-RPC API.
Aaron
On Aug 10, 2012, at 5:37 PM, Kevan Miller wrote:
> The VCL block is optional? Or Moodle is optional? As long as the VCL does not require GPL/LGPL (or other category X licenses), then that would seem to be ok.
>
> --kevan
> On Aug 10, 2012, at 2:35 PM, Aaron Coburn wrote:
>
>> I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able to give some insight into the licensing details.
>>
>> Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the Apache license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason that the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be released under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as compatible as possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute this code as well (since there seems to be interest).
>>
>> Thanks in advance!
>>
>> Aaron
>>
>>
>> --
>> Aaron Coburn
>> Systems Administrator and Programmer
>> Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
>> acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
Re: Licensing question
Posted by Kevan Miller <ke...@gmail.com>.
The VCL block is optional? Or Moodle is optional? As long as the VCL does not require GPL/LGPL (or other category X licenses), then that would seem to be ok.
--kevan
On Aug 10, 2012, at 2:35 PM, Aaron Coburn wrote:
> I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able to give some insight into the licensing details.
>
> Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the Apache license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason that the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be released under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as compatible as possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute this code as well (since there seems to be interest).
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Aaron
>
>
> --
> Aaron Coburn
> Systems Administrator and Programmer
> Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
> acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Re: Licensing question (contribution to VCL project)
Posted by Josh Thompson <jo...@ncsu.edu>.
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
Aaron,
I'm think you can license your plugin for Moodle under whatever license you
want, as long as it wasn't an extension of existing Moodle code.
I've cc'd the legal list to verify this is correct.
Legal list - a little more background: VCL is a cloud provisioning system.
It has an XMLRPC API that allows other systems to interact with it. Aaron
Coburn has written a plugin for Moodle that allows a user to make a
reservation in VCL via a Moodle site. He would like to contribute this plugin
to the VCL project.
Thanks,
Josh
On Friday, August 10, 2012 6:35:04 PM Aaron Coburn wrote:
> I have cleaned up the VCL block I wrote for Moodle and tested it with
> version 2.3. I would like to release it, but one of you might be able to
> give some insight into the licensing details.
>
> Moodle is licensed under the GPL v3 and the VCL is licensed under the Apache
> license v2. Are there any incompatibilities there? Is there any reason that
> the moodle plugin needs to be licensed under the GPL or can it be released
> under the Apache license? I would like to make the license as compatible as
> possible with the VCL so that the project would be able to distribute this
> code as well (since there seems to be interest).
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Aaron
>
>
> --
> Aaron Coburn
> Systems Administrator and Programmer
> Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
> acoburn@amherst.edu<ma...@amherst.edu>
- --
- -------------------------------
Josh Thompson
VCL Developer
North Carolina State University
my GPG/PGP key can be found at pgp.mit.edu
All electronic mail messages in connection with State business which
are sent to or received by this account are subject to the NC Public
Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
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