Re: [OctDev] libcruft/amos - nonfree Bessel code in Octave?

[c.]

On 9 Aug 2012, at 22:31, Steven G. Johnson wrote:

> Dear Octave developers,
> 
> I was looking for a complex-argument Bessel-function code to use in our 
> own free-software package, and I noticed that Octave is using the "amos" 
> software (by Don. Amos).
> 
> However, I am concerned that the amos software may be non-free.  This 
> software can also be found on Netlib (http://netlib.org/amos/), which 
> says that they are derived from TOMS Algorithm 644:
> 
>       http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=214331
> 
> Unfortunately, all of the software in TOMS (ACM Transactions on 
> Mathematical Software) is by default non-free, since the ACM license 
> allows only noncommercial use:
>       http://www.acm.org/publications/policies/softwarecrnotice
> (Note that ACM also claims copyright ownership of all TOMS code, since 
> authors are required to make a copyright assignment to ACM prior to 
> publication.)
> 
> Have the Octave authors or the FSF investigated this and found a way to 
> distribute the amos software legally under the GPL?   (In some 
> circumstances, the ACM has granted waivers of its copyright policy, see 
> e.g. http://projects.scipy.org/scipy/changeset/6120 for a different TOMS 
> package.)
> 
> Regards,
> Steven G. Johnson

Steven,
This code is in Octave, you posted your question to the mailing list for 
Octave-Forge which is a separate project.
I am moving your question to the Octave developers mailing list which is more 
appropriate for this discussion.
c.