[R] Making a new package: licence

[Spencer Graves]

On 7/8/2011 8:07 AM, Federico Calboli wrote:
> On 8 Jul 2011, at 15:56, Spencer Graves wrote:
>>> Ok, thanks for that. I though that, since R in under GPL-v2, I
>>> can only release my code under GPL-v2 because the code is written
>>> in R and probably qualifies as a derivative work.
>> Did you include someone else's GPL-vx code (possibly modified by
>> you) as part of your code in a way that someone could claim that
>> your code does NOT have a useful functionality and independent
>> existence without that?
> Nope. Nevertheless my code would not have a functionality without R,
> hence I feel GPL v2, the same R is under, is appropiate for my
> package.


       It could presumably run unchanged under S-Plus, and the same
license could probably be claimed to apply to a version that ran under 
Matlab.  Either of these could arguably give it an independent 
existence, even if that independent existence were never exercised. 
However, as I said, I'm not an attorney.


Spencer

>
> Bw
>
> F
>
>
>> I'm not an attorney, but I have read the GPL and discussed it with
>> attorneys, and it's my understanding that the definition of
>> "derivative work" encompasses essentially what I just described.
>> Another example:  According to the Wikipedia article on Linux, the
>> (first) GPL was written for the GNU Linux project.  In that
>> context, you can NOT charge someone for Linux nor for any
>> modification of it you may make, because such modifications would
>> make it a derivative work.  However, if you can run your own code
>> written in whatever language under Linux, because presumably your
>> code has an existence independent of Linux and could theoretically
>> run (with modifications) on some other operating system.
>>
>>
>> Hope this helps. Spencer
>>
>>> On uploading the new version (a matter of days), I will specify
>>> the GPL version.
>>>
>>> Bw
>>>
>>> Federico
>>>
>>>
>>>> Duncan Murdoch
>>>>
>>>>> bw
>>>>>
>>>>> Federico
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -- Federico C. F. Calboli Department of Epidemiology and
>>>>> Biostatistics Imperial College, St. Mary's Campus Norfolk
>>>>> Place, London W2 1PG
>>>>>
>>>>> Tel +44 (0)20 75941602   Fax +44 (0)20 75943193
>>>>>
>>>>> f.calboli [.a.t] imperial.ac.uk f.calboli [.a.t] gmail.com
>>>>>
>>>>> ______________________________________________
>>>>> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>>>>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read
>>>>> the posting guide
>>>>> http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide
>>>>> commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>>> -- Federico C. F. Calboli Department of Epidemiology and
>>> Biostatistics Imperial College, St. Mary's Campus Norfolk Place,
>>> London W2 1PG
>>>
>>> Tel +44 (0)20 75941602   Fax +44 (0)20 75943193
>>>
>>> f.calboli [.a.t] imperial.ac.uk f.calboli [.a.t] gmail.com
>>>
>>> ______________________________________________
>>> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the
>>> posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and
>>> provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
> -- Federico C. F. Calboli Department of Epidemiology and
> Biostatistics Imperial College, St. Mary's Campus Norfolk Place,
> London W2 1PG
>
> Tel +44 (0)20 75941602   Fax +44 (0)20 75943193
>
> f.calboli [.a.t] imperial.ac.uk f.calboli [.a.t] gmail.com
>

-- 
Spencer Graves, PE, PhD
President and Chief Operating Officer
Structure Inspection and Monitoring, Inc.
751 Emerson Ct.
San José, CA 95126
ph:  408-655-4567