SPARK toolsuite released under the GPL - license question

Posted Jun 10, 2009 14:37 UTC (Wed) by nelzas (subscriber, #4427)
Parent article: SPARK toolsuite released under the GPL

according to this table: http://libre.adacore.com/libre/comparisonchart/ this GPL version of SPARK can only be used for "Free Software development following the terms of the GPL."
Does this kind of limitation is allowed by GPL? Maybe I'm wrong but I think it is allowed to develop non Free Software using GCC, so what's different here?

SPARK toolsuite released under the GPL - license question

Posted Jun 10, 2009 15:15 UTC (Wed) by Los__D (guest, #15263) [Link] (2 responses)

Not unless it's not the "raw" GPL, but a perverted version with an addendum (effectively making it not open source, or at least not OSI-compliant AFAIK).

SPARK toolsuite released under the GPL - license question

Posted Jun 10, 2009 15:57 UTC (Wed) by Los__D (guest, #15263) [Link]

I actually got my own lazy self to check out the OSI definition again, and yes:

6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor

The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic research.

SPARK toolsuite released under the GPL - license question

Posted Jun 10, 2009 19:56 UTC (Wed) by sjw (guest, #59040) [Link]

GNAT GPL has the GPL (V2) with no extensions.

SPARK toolsuite released under the GPL - license question

Posted Jun 10, 2009 19:54 UTC (Wed) by sjw (guest, #59040) [Link] (1 responses)

You can develop non-free software using GCC, but the problem with GNAT (no idea about the
SPARK toolkit; but since it analyses code rather than compiling it I think it's not relevant) is that any
Ada program will involve instantiating generics, the equivalent of including the library source code.

If you get your GCC+Ada from the FSF, this is obviated by an extension to the license that allows
you to build proprietary software. (Similar applies to the C++ template library).

If you get GNAT GPL from AdaCore, the maintainers (www.adacore.com), this license extension is
removed, in other words you can only make free software (or proprietary software that you never
distribute, of course). Don't ask me to explain why, that's just the way it is!

SPARK toolsuite released under the GPL - license question

Posted Jun 11, 2009 20:48 UTC (Thu) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link]

'Why' seems obvious to me. It's to encourage proprietary software authors
to pay for the commercial GNAT. Seems reasonable to me: if you're going to
write proprietary software (and make people pay for it), please pay the
authors of the tools you use, first.