Below is a conversation with Jim Blandy that I'm moving to the patches list for public discussion.
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Pete Eberlein
IBM Linux Technology Center
Linux on Power Toolchain
----- Forwarded by Peter A Eberlein/Beaverton/IBM on 09/14/2007 02:32 PM -----
Jim Blandy <jimb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote on 09/14/2007 11:46:43 AM:
>
> Peter A Eberlein <eberlein@xxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> > We're planning to use libdecnumber sources from GCC in our contribution of
> > libdfp, and we would like to know under what license it would be acceptable to
> > EGLIBC. In GCC, it is currently GPLv2 plus exceptions, and Janis Johnson is
> > going to ask the FSF to change it to a license that allows it to be shared with
> > other projects. Please let me know what license would allow libdecnumber to be
> > accepted into EGLIBC.
>
> GCC and GLIBC have generally settled on LGPL + exception for code
> shared between GCC and GLIBC. For example,
> gcc/config/soft-fp/adddf3.c and the identical eglibc/soft-fp/adddf3.c.
>
> Just to be clear: I'd recommend using exactly the language in those
> files. There are a number of different '+ exception' clauses used
> throughout GCC, and the FSF is on the hook to provide v3 versions for
> each of them. We don't want libdecnumber to create yet another
> variant that needs to be reviewed and adapted for v3.
>
> It seems to me that the only reason soft-fp is v2 and not v3 is that
> GLIBC is the origin of soft-fp, and GLIBC is still v2. GLIBC will be
> making the transition to LGPLv3 at some point (unknown to me or anyone
> I talk to), but it hasn't yet, so LGPLv2 + exception is probably right
> for now. When GLIBC makes the transition to v3, we can update
> libdecnumber in both places.
Agreed. We want the license for libdecnumber to originate in GCC, and let the GCC maintainers handle license changes. I will let the GCC folks know that we want libdecnumber to be licensed under LGPLv2+exceptions (similar to soft-fp/adddf3.c) For v3, GCC will make the change to libdecnumber first, then copy it over to EGLIBC.
Also I would like to check in the libdfp code that we currently have. What is
the recommended process for doing this? Do I need to get permission, or do I
just svn check in the code and send an email to eglibc-patches? Just so you
know, the libdfp addon will not build until there is a libdecnumber to go with it.