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List:       php-internals
Subject:    Re: [PHP-DEV] license issues
From:       Zeev Suraski <zeev () zend ! com>
Date:       1999-06-29 0:17:22
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At 23:20 28/06/99 , Rasmus Lerdorf wrote:
> > Maybe this could be a change considered along with the release of PHP4,
> > since there's already plans to split off the GPL code into another
> > package?
>
>I am all for putting PHP under the exact Apache license without any
>changed.  And I always have been.  It isn't me you need to convince.

That would be us (Andi and me), and we still hold the position that people 
should not be given the legal right to do whatever they wish with PHP.  I 
doubt this clause stopped anybody from using PHP for legitimate purposes - 
it was one Email away.

The problematic aspect here, IMO, is what exactly the legal status of the 
'core team' is, and whether the core team as it was historically formed is 
the best group to decide over this issue, and if it is, in what 
way;  However, as a rule, I don't see any reason to remove it.  Alter and 
improve it so that it's clearer - sure, but definitely not remove 
it.  Also, I fail to see the motivation in 'reducing the number of licenses 
out there'.  A license should fit the purpose of its authors, and since 
none of the existing licenses fit our purposes, we created this modified one.

Also, and that's mostly directed as Rasmus (as a brainstorm invitation, not 
a bashing of any sort) - I don't see how we could easily, legally drop the 
GNU public license as you've announced you'd want to do (since your IBM 
contract prevents you from working on GPLd software).
Before we can modify the PHP license (e.g., modify any clause in our 
license or drop the GPL), we must get the approval of every single person 
who've contributed code to the source tree, don't we?  After all, these 
people contributed code knowing the license is X, and now we want to change 
it to X' (slight modifications to the PHP license) or even Y (if we drop 
the GPL).  Personally, I'm completely in favour of dropping the GPL - but 
I'm not sure whether we can do it.

We'd also have to add at least one clause about Zend pointing people at the 
Zend license in case they consider modifying code that's a part of Zend or 
take out Zend and reuse it in other applications, but I'm not too worried 
about that.

Zeev
--
Zeev Suraski   <zeev@zend.com>  http://www.zend.com/
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