[Zope-dev] ZPL and GPL

[Michael R. Bernstein]

On 26 Jun 2001 10:30:06 -0400, Barry A. Warsaw wrote:
> 
> >>>>> "JA" == Jerome Alet <alet@unice.fr> writes:
> 
>     JA> For Zope it's not sure, but for Python, as well as for all
>     JA> what people usually call "open source" languages, the license
>     JA> of choice should be the GPL, or at least the LGPL, in order
>     JA> for the language in question to not become bastardized by some
>     JA> powerful entity.
> 
> I think I'm accurately channeling Guido when I say that Python will
> never be GPL'd.  AFAIK, there is no GPL code even in the standard
> Python distribution.  Both of those states of affair are by conscious
> decision: regardless of what you think of the GPL (and I personally
> happen to believe it can be a good license for /some/ software, but
> not all) GPL'ing Python would be a very bad thing.  Guido has always
> intended for people to do whatever they want with Python, including
> using it in everything from closed source, proprietary, big-$$$
> software to completely free software.

I guess I don't understand how licensing Python under the GPL would
prevent people from writing proprietary software in Python.

Compiling a program using gcc doesn't require that the program be GPL'd.

Michael Bernstein.