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License for Open-Source Software w/ Plugins?

Posted by Cliff on from the stuck-in-a-tricky-situation dept.

ThiagoHP asks: "I have developed MultiMAD, a rapid application development and prototyping for for mobile devices in my master's course, and now I want to share it with the community. It's written in Java and it has a plugin architecture in order to support different mobile device platforms (WAP, J2ME, PalmOS, etc). I want to give the freedom to anybody write their plugins, even closed-source, as long as the tool itself is not modified for them to run. This implies that GPL cannot be used. At the same time, I do not want any closed-source tool based in MultiMAD code, so licenses such as the Apache one cannot be used. Am I right in my assumptions regarding licenses? What license do you suggest?"

4 of 91 comments (clear)

  1. LGPL by A.K.A_Magnet · · Score: 5, Informative

    That's exactly what the LGPL is for.

    Derivative of your code will be in LGPL, but code linked to it (as plugins or using it as a library) have no license requirement.

    Check it out

  2. It's not a GPL variant. by hummassa · · Score: 3, Informative

    Linux is a massively complex work when the subject is copyright. Basically, the kernel as a whole is GPLv2, and Linus (who has the copyright on a lot of code and has indirect copyright on almost the whole kernel [much kernel code which is not his is still derivative on his original linux v0.01]) says he -- like other intelligent people -- do not consider the FSF GPL FAQ as correct about linking (especially dynalinking) and the GPL.
    IOW: when you GPLv2 some code, you are probably granting the right to dynalink proprietary modules to your work. Linus only stated this explicitly, thus estopping himself from suing anyone (nVidia?) who makes proprietary loadable kernel modules.

    --
    It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
  3. Yes you can... by joto · · Score: 4, Informative
    Here's how you word it:

    This software is licensed under the General Public License (GPL), version 2 (see below for the full text of this license). As a special exemption, software plugins using the documented plugin API for this software, will be allowed to be distributed and/or run-time linked with this software regardless of their license.

    [Explain the plugin API, or where to find the "documented" parts of it]

    [Full text of GPL]

  4. GPL is the right license by Pope+Raymond+Lama · · Score: 2, Informative

    Since you own the copyright to your code, you can add an exception to the GPL that exempts plug-ins from being GPL compatible.

    Read the GPL FAQ on www.gnu.org to undertand this better. The GIMP itself uses |GP in this way, since there are non-free plug-ins for it.

    --
    -><- no .sig is good sig.