The problem is clarity

The problem is clarity

Well, why not read the CDDL instead of getting a second-hand opinion from some random, non-lawyer, LWN reader like me? (this is precisely my problem with so much of the opinion bandied around on the CDDL - everyone is happy to form it based on hearsay. :) ).

You can't simply make changes and stuff them in a new file. Modifications to CDDL'd code must still be distributed under the CDDL, whether in a new file or not. The definition of modifications is:

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1.9. “Modifications” means the Source Code and Executable form of any of the following:

A. Any file that results from an addition to, deletion from or modification of the contents of a file containing Original Software or previous Modifications;

B. Any new file that contains any part of the Original Software or previous Modification; or

C. Any new file that is contributed or otherwise made available under the terms of this License.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Such modifications would *still* be required to be licenced under the CDDL.

In that context, reread this sentence fragment of mine:

> The major differences with the GPL are that CDDL does not
> try to extend its reach beyond *files* containing CDDLed code

Clearer?

Note that the definition of "modification of the contents of a file" *possibly* is very similar to how the GPL relies on the definition of "derived work" for its coverage. But I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know. (I'd be curious as to the answer). The scope of how the CDDL frames it is possibly narrower than that of the GPL, I'm not sure (modifications to contents versus 'derived work') however I suspect in practice the respective scope wouldn't be /too/ far apart.

Reading the CDDL would also be a useful exercise, particularly if one wishes to argue it's demerits :). It's at:

http://www.sun.com/cddl/cddl.html

regards,

--paulj