[License-review] For Legacy Approval: eCos License version 2.0

[John Cowan]

Richard Fontana scripsit:

> I assume that the last sentence there is the main reason for your
> seeking OSI approval for the license. But in that case, why not simply
> stop referring to 'the eCos License 2.0' as though it were a special
> license and instead characterize eCos as being licensed as 'GPLv2 or
> later' with a permissive exception? I've encountered other projects
> using similarly-worded GPL exceptions but to my recollection those
> projects characterize themselves as being GPL-licensed.

It's a pretty dramatic derogation from the normal GPLv2 requirements.
In any case, the whole point of legacy license approval is that the
license is in use for existing software, and now that OSI-certified
licenses are becoming an actual requirement in some circles, such 
obviously open source software should get the benefit of licensure.

> Thanks for pointing to the wxWindows license -- however the OSI's
> approval of that license seems to be from the late 2002 timeframe,
> before the rise of concerns about license proliferation and 'vanity
> licenses' and such.

The barn door is open on this one.

-- 
John Cowan          http://www.ccil.org/~cowan        cowan at ccil.org
Arise, you prisoners of Windows / Arise, you slaves of Redmond, Wash,
The day and hour soon are coming / When all the IT folks say "Gosh!"
It isn't from a clever lawsuit / That Windowsland will finally fall,
But thousands writing open source code / Like mice who nibble through a wall.
        --The Linux-nationale by Greg Baker