[Distutils] Beginnings of a C/C++ compiler interface

[Ovidiu Predescu]

On Mon, 12 Jul 1999 13:45:08 -0400 (EDT), "Fred L. Drake" 
<fdrake@cnri.reston.va.us> wrote:

>  > Am I missing something?
> 
>   Macintosh, Windows, and other operating systems.  We cannot assume
> that GNUish tools are installed on those systems.

The way I saw things happening with other free software packages is to provide
already configured files for Windows and Mac OS. You simple don't run the
configure tools at all but come up with some assumptions on those platforms.

>   For a number of people, there's a licensing issue with GNUish tools
> as well.

The output generated by autoconf, aka the configure script, is not covered by
GPL, so there's no licensing issue here. Only the autoconf package itself is
covered by GPL, but not its result.The autoconf manual also specifies this very
clear:

<quote>

     What are the restrictions on distributing `configure'
     scripts that Autoconf generates?  How does that affect my
     programs that use them?

   There are no restrictions on how the configuration scripts that
Autoconf produces may be distributed or used.  In Autoconf version 1,
they were covered by the GNU General Public License.  We still
encourage software authors to distribute their work under terms like
those of the GPL, but doing so is not required to use Autoconf.

   Of the other files that might be used with `configure',
`config.h.in' is under whatever copyright you use for your
`configure.in', since it is derived from that file and from the public
domain file `acconfig.h'.  `config.sub' and `config.guess' have an
exception to the GPL when they are used with an Autoconf-generated
`configure' script, which permits you to distribute them under the same
terms as the rest of your package.  `install-sh' is from the X
Consortium and is not copyrighted.

</quote>

Using autoconf does not present any problem since we are to distribute the
generated configure script and not the autoconf package itself. And all the
extension packages could use a configure script even if the licensing of the
package is not under GPL or LGPL.


Greetings,
-- 
Ovidiu Predescu <ovidiu@cup.hp.com>
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Monitor/7464/