[Bf-committers] Fwd: Linux Installer for Blender

[Daniel Lopez]

> Well, I'd not be that sure if I were you. Even with this above statement you 
> have gone further than any of the other companies you name in that you 
> explicitely support the use of your installer for blender. I am not aware 
> that any other installer manufacturer has done so publicly. This is one piece 
> of the puzzle. The other one in the GPL FAQ:
> 
> http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#MereAggregation
> 
> Wether building an installer is "mere aggregation" or  "combining two modules" 
> is the key to this issue. According to this text the latter is actually the 
> case and - this is clearly stated there - this will put your installer under 
> the GPL. Remember that you have already publicly agreed to this combination.

First, let me state that we consider your concerns seriously. I am myself an
open source developer and have released code using a variety of licenses,
including Apache, BSD and GPL.

The closest I could in the FAQ is the following 

If a programming language interpreter has a license that is incompatible
with the GPL, can I run GPL-covered programs on it?

When the interpreter just interprets a language, the answer is yes. The
interpreted program, to the interpreter, is just data; the GPL doesn't
restrict what tools you process the program with.[...]

The key phrase would be "the GPL doesn't restrict what tools you process the
program with." 

Apart from InstallShield, etc. there are / were several Linux distribution
installation tools that are propietary, yet used to install tons of software
under different licenses, included the GPL.

In any case, if you (the copyright holders) dont see a problem with using
the installer, I dont see it either :)  Hey, I just want to help, not get
sued :)

Best regards

Daniel