Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

LGPL or BSD-Style License for Media Codecs?

Posted by Cliff on from the stuff-to-discuss dept.

Josh Coalson asks: "I am the author of FLAC, an open-source lossless audio codec. The core of the project is a reference encoder/decoder library currently licensed under the LGPL. As the format grows more popular I am being been approached by third parties about implementation in proprietary hardware systems. This is natural and I don't have anything against it, but several people are voicing concerns that the LGPL is too strict for use in embedded systems. I want the codec to remain Free, but then again, wide adoption of a format makes it more useful to all users."

"More specifically, the nature of many embedded systems force them to be bound by the stringent requirements of Section 6 the LGPL. In some cases, dynamic linkage is not possible, ruling out 6(b), or causing the terms of the FLAC library to come into conflict with other proprietary libraries. In other cases, it simply is not possible to provide an environment, according to 6(a), where the user can re-link with a different copy of the library.

What are my options? I could stick to my guns, which might limit the adoption of the format, or change the license. I know Vorbis uses the BSD license, but I feel strongly about modifications that are useful for others going back into the free code base. Perhaps there is another middle-ground license that could preserve the Freedom of the code in these cases? Or maybe I am not interpreting the verbiage of the LGPL correctly? Can't I have my cake and eat it too?"

4 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. Slashbot Copy n' Paste Reply Table by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll
    Slashbot Fun Time Frolics
    Simply copy n' paste your favourite expression into a post!
    • "Oooh! How schweet! Does it run Linux?"
    • "I wonder how long it will take before Linux is ported to this puppy?"
    • "I was going to write the app, but I was too lazy to do it, and waited for someone else to make it instead."
    • "The GPL is great - Let's discuss it."
    • "My professor said I should be using emacs..."
    • "My professor said I should be using vi..."
    • "It's sooo easy to port this application, why hasn't anyone done it yet? I would, but I'm too busy working on the kernel and choosing new Transformers wallpaper..."
    • "If everyone was as talented a coder as me, we'd have beaten Microsoft by now!"
    • "I don't care if Windows Ultra has no bugs or security flaws whatsoever, it's still worse than Linux."
    • "Chyeah! Right! If it was a business requirement to use Java, they should have refused to do the project!"
    • "Of course I don't use Internet Explorer. I only use it when I'm forced to, like at the office, and at school, and at home..."
    • "The government can kiss my ass until they stop monitoring my phone calls... FREEEEEDOM!"
    • "I can't believe you paid money for Photoshop! GIMP is way better dude!"
    • "I was going to Ask Slashdot, but then I noticed that Dragonball Z was on cartoon network..."
    • "I've always wanted a Japanese girlfriend so I can understand my non-dubbed/subbed anime collection..."
    • "Uh! That's is such a rip off of Communication OS from Serial Experiments Lain!"
    • "Why didn't Alan ask Linus about the VM? I like being on first name basis with my heroes."
    • "Everyone on IRC told me Enterprise was crap. I watched it, loved it, and then told everyone I met that it was crap."
    • "The government is taking away my rights! This is so like '1984'!"
    • "I'm reading the preface to C for Dummies and my head already hurts..."
    • "But real programmers use a CLI! Anybody who doesn't use a Common Library Injector should have got a degree like me!"
    • "I'm going to code my Gamecube emulator in C, but even though I have only ever used Visual Basic Learning Edition, it should be a one banana problem and ready in the next few days."
    • "I hardly think you can call me a fashion victim - I been encoding to ogg since 1994"
    • "But I'm taking Computer Science at university; You WILL respect my opinion! I am the law!"
    • "I may have only just graduated, and may still be looking for work, but I've got more experience than you with your '20 years of coding'!! Get A BS!"
    • "I asked Neff if they would Open Source the code to my microwave, but they told me it was proprietary..."
    • "I know Ada, Fortran, Cobol, C, C++, Java, HTML, Perl and RPG.... Oh, I thought you meant know *of* them..."
    NickTheGreek, London
    The traffik's blaadhy murder, but then that's part a' the charm, aint't it?!
  2. Re:Oh don't worry about licensing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    No one really likes my media format, yet.
    I was hoping proprietary copyrights would increase the interest in the product.
    But I still want to go open source to be accepted by the linux population.

    -Josh Coalson

  3. Ahhh the eternal license wars. by Lord+Hugh+Toppingham · · Score: -1, Troll
    BSD or GPL.

    This one will run and run. No doubt there will be some for whom the BSD license seems best, and others meanwhile will prefer the lesser freedom of the communistic GPL.

    However one thing is for sure. You won't be seeing very much insightful commentry from the Linux Zealots [linux-zealotry-central.org]

  4. FUCKING IDIOT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    WHO THE FUCK WOULD USE A LOSSLESS AUDIO COMPRESSION SYSTEM. EVERY TROLL KNOWS THAT THE TIME IT TAKES TO DECODE A LOSSLESS FILE IS SO FUCKING EXPENSIVE COMARED TO THE 0.0000000001% SPACE YOU SAVE WITH YOUR LOSSLESS PEICE OF SHIT. WE ALL KNOW THAT YOU AUDIOPHILES (PHILIAS TEND TO EXTEND TO OTHER TOPICS) ONLY BITCH TO MAKE EVERYBODY THINK YOU ARE SO COOL AND TONE ACUTE. I SAY FUCK YOUR STUPID PEICE OF SHIT AND FUCK YOU PEDOPHILES.