Re: calling octave from C

[David Grundberg]

Judd Storrs skrev:
> I understand your position. But fundamentally, pytave is clearly a
> derivative work of octave and is bound to octave's license.
> Restrictions on octave by derivative works are incompatible with the
> GPL. That is both the beauty and the curse of the GPL. I guess the
> clearest way to express my consern is that one of these two cases must
> be true:
>
> 1) Pytave's restriction limiting use of octave to only GPL-compatible
> interpreter scripts is a novel GPL-incompatible restriction on
> octave's code
>
>   

I think your word "GPL-incompatible" is misleading. Calling it a "novel 
GPL-incompatible restriction on Octave's code" is plain wrong. It's not 
novel. It's not "GPL-incompatible". Pytave is a derivate of Octave. 
That's why it is licensed under GPLv3. And it's not a restriction of 
Octave's code. You can do the same thing with Pytave that you can do 
with Octave to begin with. In fact, the GPL license is there to 
guarantee it.

The GNU GPL is not a random set of rules regarding distribution. I think 
this is essential to truly understanding the license. It is there with 
the explicit purpose of preserving the four freedoms of the users. 
Hypothetically, if Pytave somehow weren't GPL, the hole it with leave 
open would be big enough to drive a truck through.

> OR
>
> 2) Use of GPL-incompatible interpreter code (m-files) was already
> forbidden within the octave interpreter.
>
> My opinion is that the FSF FAQ makes it clear that #2 is false.
>
>   

The Octave interpreter can be used to interpret any m-file. You can 
interpret any m-file through Pytave too. You can run Pytave or Octave 
however you wish, it is freedom 0. (Freedom to run the software for any 
purpose)

David