Re: [GNU-linux-libre] snprintf license

[Mark Martinec]

Sam,

> I'm a contributor to the gNewSense project [1], a GNU/Linux
> distribution aiming to comply with the FSF's free system distribution
> guidelines [2].
> 
> I came across your snprintf code in several of our packages. I would
> like to clarify the license situation of this code with you. [...]

> 'This program is free software; it is dual licensed, the terms of the
> "Frontier Artistic License" or the "GNU General Public License" can be
> chosen at your discretion. The chosen license then applies solely and
> in its entirety. Both licenses come with this Kit.'
> 
> Version 2.2 has a LICENSE.txt containing the Frontier Artistic License,
> but I can't find the GPL text.
>
> The FSF considers the Artistic License 1.0 (and hence the practically
> identical Frontier Artistic License) non-free, so their guidelines
> don't allow such code in distributions. GPL code is ok, of course. We
> would like to keep using your useful code in our distribution. Do you
> still allow snprintf to be published under the GPL?

I'm sorry about the licensing confusion. In retrospect the
Frontier Artistic License was a very bad idea, but at the time
it seemed like a cleaned-up Artistic License.

The portable snprintf is still dual licensed, GPL v2 can still
be chosen and will remain so.

I was considering dropping the Frontier Artistic License and
replacing it with a new BSD license (while keeping the
dual-licensing GPL 2 choice) - but I never got to releasing
a new version.

If you are interested, I can provide my current snprintf version 2.5,
so you can decide if it has anything beyond 2.2 that would be
interesting to your project.

Regards
  Mark