[cairo] Re: License for cairo changed to LGPL

[M. Evans]

Carl,

Not even the GPL itself prevents
forking. I do not see how an open
source license prevents forking.
GNOME recently forked.

Anyway, I am also an embedded developer.
I do see a big problem with LGPL in this
domain.  Generally source code release
is not something a developer decides.
That big-think percolates right up the
management chain, and if management says
"no," that pretty much kills the choice
off.  It doesn't matter if the engineer
is willing and able to be very, very
clever about releasing his source code.
It's just not his call. That has been my
experience.  Now of course some changes
are always required to get any code
functional on embedded systems, because
each one is so unique.  I do not think
it is FUD to raise these issues.
They are quite valid.

In fact three GUI toolkits use LGPL
with special binary linkage exception
clauses. R. Stallman has reviewed and
OK'd the wxWindows version.  These
licenses were developed after lots of
debate, hashing, etc., over years.
Here are the links. Read and enjoy.
Cairo might consider something close.

http://www.wxwindows.org/newlicen.htm
http://www.fltk.org/faq.php?3
http://www.fox-toolkit.org/license.html

Thank you for Cairo, under any license!

M.