Zeo Developer Terms of Use

[Chris Travers]

IANAL, but I don't see what the problem is.  We already have programs
like NDIS-wrapper, the nVidia driver wrappers, etc.   However, most of
these use the GPL v2, not the GPL v3 and there are differences there
which may affect things.

The thing to think about here is that by releasing a program under the
GPL with a linking exception, it seems to me that what you are
encouraging is for someone to come up with ways to take your program
and replace the closed-source libraries eventually with open source
ones.  Zeo will probably never do this, of course.

The GPL doesn't establish a ceiling with the maximum rights you, as a
copyright holder, may grant.  It does however establish the minimum
rights those who need your permission to distribute their programs
must grant if they use your software.  Even under the GPL v 3, it
seems to me someone integrating a closed source library could add a
linking exception (as an additional permission).

If it were me, I'd use the GPL v2 (because I like that version better
than v3) and add a linking exception.  I'd probably also release a
statement saying that I wish there were open source equivalents, but
that this was the best I could do (because social expectations matter
as much as legal ones).

Best Wishes,
Chris Travers