License question when extending Python.

[Thomas Wouters]

On Tue, Apr 24, 2001 at 11:49:59AM +0000, Owen F. Ransen wrote:

> If I add an extension to Python (by adding one of more
> C files to the original sources) I can distribute Python
> with my extensions as long as the license agreement is
> included in the distribution.

You can distribute Python itself however and whenever you like, provided
it's clear it's Python, and it's owned by the owner(s) of Python (CWI, CNRI,
BeOpen and/or PSF, depending on what version of Python we're talking about)
and not by you. (This is the 'common sense' version; the exact terms are
listed in the licence(s) coming with the release you're talking about;
basically it says the copyright statement has to remain visible.) If you
distribute a modified Python, you need to include a brief summary on how
'your' Python binary was modified from the 'original'.

However, you can distribute your extentions in whatever manner you like.
They're *yours*. If you want to distribute them audio-encoded on an 8-track,
or on punchcards made of papier-mache, that's fine. If you want to charge
megabucks for distrubiting it, that's fine too. Python does not say anything
about *your* code, be it written in C, Python, Fortran, INTERCAL or whatever
language.

The most important bit about the Python licence is that: 1) You can't claim
Python is yours, and 2) you can't sue anyone for something Python did to
you, or anyone else.

> And do I have to include the sources of the *extensions*
> I have written? 

It's your code. You can do anything you want with it. Sure, if you want to
spread the source, by all means, opensourceness is a good thing.
www.opensource.org has some good examples of opensource licences, too :)

-- 
Thomas Wouters <thomas at xs4all.net>

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