Received: from mail.proteosys.com ([62.225.9.49]) by nummer-3.proteosys with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.4905); Thu, 4 Jul 2002 20:06:20 +0200 Received: by mail.proteosys.com (8.12.2/8.12.2) with ESMTP id g64I5exH012333 for ; Thu, 4 Jul 2002 20:05:41 +0200 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C22385.7FB53600" Received: from listserv.uni-heidelberg.de (listserv.uni-heidelberg.de [129.206.100.27]) by relay.uni-heidelberg.de (8.12.4/8.12.4) with ESMTP id g64HsnWK026408; Thu, 4 Jul 2002 19:54:50 +0200 (MET DST) Received: from listserv (listserv.uni-heidelberg.de [129.206.100.27]) by listserv.uni-heidelberg.de (8.12.2/8.12.2/SuSE Linux 0.6) with ESMTP id g640k4Fx011125; Thu, 4 Jul 2002 19:56:16 +0200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.5 Received: from LISTSERV.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE by LISTSERV.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE (LISTSERV-TCP/IP release 1.8d) with spool id 4693 for LATEX-L@LISTSERV.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE; Thu, 4 Jul 2002 19:56:16 +0200 Received: from relay.uni-heidelberg.de (relay.uni-heidelberg.de [129.206.100.212]) by listserv.uni-heidelberg.de (8.12.2/8.12.2/SuSE Linux 0.6) with ESMTP id g64HuGxD018108 for ; Thu, 4 Jul 2002 19:56:16 +0200 Received: from smtp.tninet.se (vir.tninet.se [195.100.94.108]) by relay.uni-heidelberg.de (8.12.4/8.12.4) with ESMTP id g64HsdWK026386 for ; Thu, 4 Jul 2002 19:54:40 +0200 (MET DST) Received: from [195.100.226.139] (du129-226.ppp.su-anst.tninet.se [195.100.226.129]) by vir.tninet.se (BMR ErlangTM/OTP 3.0) with ESMTP id 795426.805275.1025.0s102577002vir for ; Thu, 04 Jul 2002 19:54:35 +0200 In-Reply-To: <20020704182436.A2236@birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie> Return-Path: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 04 Jul 2002 18:06:20.0954 (UTC) FILETIME=[8046C7A0:01C22385] X-Sender: haberg@pop.matematik.su.se X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.6 (www dot roaringpenguin dot com slash mimedefang) Content-class: urn:content-classes:message Subject: Re: LPPL Date: Thu, 4 Jul 2002 18:53:18 +0100 Message-ID: A X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: Thread-Topic: Re: LPPL Thread-Index: AcIjhYCKTIMDdJz6T2OHcRxgLKIUVg== From: "Hans Aberg" To: Reply-To: "Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project" Status: R X-Status: X-Keywords: X-UID: 4254 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C22385.7FB53600 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable >May a voice from the back of the hall >ask why LaTeX doesn't adopt the Gnu GPL? I feel sure the experts here can give much better answer: But the objective of the GNU license is to make sure that the sources = and the derivations as far as possible stay open and free, but they are = freely modifiable. By contrast, LaTeX, in addition wants to make sure that the various = LaTeX installations will behave the same when compiling the same input, or if that is not the case, that the user is clearly made aware about that. BTW. MacOS pre-X used to have "creator codes" identifying programs independent of their file name. A LaTeX version might be to attach a "creator" name to each file, which must be altered to a unique one if the original file is modified and = should be distributed. For example, the original files might have creator = "LaTeX Project Core" etc. Apple keeps a database of these creator codes, where one can register = them in order to make sure that they do not clash. This only necessary if one think there is a risk for clash. The LPPL would then say that if some sources have a LaTeX creator code, then if those sources are altered, also the creator code must be = altered. The advantage of this approach is that the identity of the sources is = not entirely tied to the file name. Hans Aberg ------_=_NextPart_001_01C22385.7FB53600 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Re: LPPL

>May a voice from the back of the hall
>ask why LaTeX doesn't adopt the Gnu GPL?

I feel sure the experts here can give much better = answer:

But the objective of the GNU license is to make sure = that the sources and
the derivations as far as possible stay open and = free, but they are freely
modifiable.

By contrast, LaTeX, in addition wants to make sure = that the various LaTeX
installations will behave the same when compiling the = same input, or if
that is not the case, that the user is clearly made = aware about that.

BTW. MacOS pre-X used to have "creator = codes" identifying programs
independent of their file name.

A LaTeX version might be to attach a = "creator" name to each file, which
must be altered to a unique one if the original file = is modified and should
be distributed. For example, the original files might = have creator "LaTeX
Project Core" etc.

Apple keeps a database of these creator codes, where = one can register them
in order to make sure that they do not clash. This = only necessary if one
think there is a risk for clash.

The LPPL would then say that if some sources have a = LaTeX creator code,
then if those sources are altered, also the creator = code must be altered.

The advantage of this approach is that the identity of = the sources is not
entirely tied to the file name.

  Hans Aberg

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