Re: [DotGNU]Changing pnetlib license to LGPL

[BioChem333]

On Fri, 2002-07-12 at 11:07, Gopal V wrote:
> Unlike the Classpath libraries , pnetlib uses a different mode of 
> native invocation . Classpath uses the standard JNI for all the 
> libraries. Pnet uses Internalcalls for std libraries and PInvoke for
> other libraries.
> 
> So company 'A' trying to "improve" any of the pnetlib libraries would 
> have to redeclare some of the libraries functions as PInvoke thereby
> compromising efficency (dlopen,dlsym...). Also PInvoke cannot do many
> of the things an InternalCall can , like do a GC_Alloc (I learnt it 
> during my dotgnu.xml work....) .
> 
> Inserting an internal call would be a derievative work of the runtime
> which is GPL'd , etcetera ...
> 
> So in effect the pnetlib cannot be hijacked as easily as classpath
> could be using Native calls , due to design .

Actually, from what I understood in the explanation of the GPL+linking,
using internal calls would not make it a derivative work. That
implementation of the library would rely upon that runtime, but other
interface-compatible versions of the library would still work on the
runtime. Also the runtime itself would not contain the library in any
form (by law, even though common sense may say otherwise), so it
wouldn't be a derivative work and therefore would not be covered by the
LGPL. Thus, we have improvements and additions being made to the library
that are non-free.

Rich