[Boost-users] Re: about license

"Victor A. Wagner Jr." writes:

At Tuesday 2004-02-24 18:42, you wrote:

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Marleny Rafferty writes:

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Hi-

I am considering using boost in my applications, but I have a question about the boost license at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt . It says (edited) "Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to ... use [and] reproduce ... the Software".

It also says that any derivative works must also have the same license grant.

If my application uses boost libraries unchanged, is it considered a derivative work?

Yes.

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If so, does that mean that if I distribute my compiled software, I must allow free of charge use and distribution?

No, the license gives an explicit exemption for compiled code (emphasis mine):

all derivative works of the Software, UNLESS SUCH COPIES OR DERIVATIVE WORKS ARE SOLELY IN THE FORM OF MACHINE-EXECUTABLE OBJECT CODE GENERATED BY A SOURCE LANGUAGE PROCESSOR.

Your interpretation says a copy of the source must be "free to use and reproduce" but the compiled output not.

1) I don't belive it

a. I don't believe you don't believe it.

2) I don't believe that's enforceable

b. I don't believe you can prove you don't believe it. That was exactly the interpretation we asked the lawyers who worked with us to encode in the license, so I don't know why you'd doubt me. The lawyers are very good at their jobs.

3) who is protected by this? Certainly not anyone trying to USE the library.

c. The authors who intended the source code to remain freely usable, and the boost goal that there be no barriers to free use of the software. -- Dave Abrahams Boost Consulting www.boost-consulting.com