Re: PG functions in Java: maybe use gcj? - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

On Thu, 2002-10-31 at 18:27, Barry Lind wrote:

> However in the proposal here we are talking about requiring a specific 
> jvm (gcj) and actually linking parts of it into postgres.  To the extent 
> that GPL code is linked in the GPL extends to the entire code base.  As 
> I said previously there are ways to work around this, but it becomes 
> tricky.  Especially when a commercial product wants to bundle postgres 
> and pljava.  That resulting bundle is probably entirely under the GPL 
> and then any changes to it are also GPL.  So it could be the case that 
> this company would be prevented from submitting improvements they made 
> back to the core product because their improvements are GPLed as a 
> result of pljava.

Nothing that company does can affect the licensing of PostgreSQL itself
- it doesn't belong to them, so they cannot change its licence.

Nothing in the GPL forces them to put GPL copyright on their own
alterations.

What they cannot do is to _distribute_ binary code that links to GPL
code while giving fewer rights to their distributees than they
themselves received with the GPL code, whether in respect of their own
code or the GPL code.  Therefore they would be required to make their
source changes available to anyone to whom they gave a binary, and they
would not be able to restrict the further distribution of those
changes.  They can contribute those changes to the project under
whatever licence they wish that is acceptable to the project.

Furthermore, gcj is part of the GNU compiler collection, like gcc, and
using it does not in itself cause code compiled under it to be subject
to the GPL.  Linking to its runtime library would normally cause that,
but the gcj-3.0 copyright contains the following text:

========================================================================
The libgcj library is licensed under the terms of the GNU General
Public License, with this special exception:
   As a special exception, if you link this library with other files   to produce an executable, this library does not
byitself cause   the resulting executable to be covered by the GNU General Public   License.  This exception does not
howeverinvalidate any other   reasons why the executable file might be covered by the GNU   General Public License.
 
========================================================================

-- 
Oliver Elphick                                Oliver.Elphick@lfix.co.uk
Isle of Wight, UK                            
http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver
GPG: 1024D/3E1D0C1C: CA12 09E0 E8D5 8870 5839  932A 614D 4C34 3E1D 0C1C
========================================   "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their      strength; they
shallmount up with wings as eagles;      they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk,     and not faint."
      Isaiah 40:31