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Beginners > libnds template licensing

#133912 - tepples - Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:43 pm

wintermute wrote:
you just haven't told the makefile where the source files actually are. Currently the best way to start a new project is to copy the complete template folder

That would be C:\devkitPro\examples\gba\template on my machine. But what is the intended license of the files Makefile and source/template.c? Can I use this template in projects that I will be distributing, or should I start from scratch?
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#133957 - wintermute - Mon Jul 09, 2007 10:30 pm

The link to the thread where this was asked was extremely tenuous in my opinion so I've split this into a new thread.

Currently the examples and associated templates have no explicit license which does technically make them copyright the individual authors and not distributable. Obviously this contradicts the intended use and neither I nor any of the authors will pursue anyone building on the source provided and distributing the results. You can consider that explicit written permission to use and distribute the templates as part of your own work.

This does raise the question of what license to apply to the examples provided. Individually they should be treated as some form of MIT/BSD license but as a whole but I would prefer that they only be distributed in their entirety within the devkitPro framework.

As I told you in PM several days ago I am currently in the process of seeking advice from FSF Europe regarding the GPL aspects of the toolchains with a view to consolidating the license requirements properly. I will not be answering further questions on this matter until I have completed a source audit and FSFE recommendations are implemented.

While I understand your concerns about licensing I feel that your methods of addressing them are highly inappropriate. In PM I asked you to direct future questions to email, please use the contact form at devkitpro.org or publically listed email addresses to inform me of what concerns you currently have. They will be addressed when I have completed my audit and made whatever changes are necessary.
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#134010 - tepples - Tue Jul 10, 2007 3:09 am

wintermute wrote:
Currently the examples and associated templates have no explicit license which does technically make them copyright the individual authors and not distributable. Obviously this contradicts the intended use and neither I nor any of the authors will pursue anyone building on the source provided and distributing the results. You can consider that explicit written permission to use and distribute the templates as part of your own work.

Thank you.

wintermute wrote:
While I understand your concerns about licensing I feel that your methods of addressing them are highly inappropriate. In PM I asked you to direct future questions to email

I posted it publicly to warn the public of a possibility of infringement. I could have just posted "It has come to my attention that there are licensing problems that affect devkitARM. Each person reading this should contact wintermute via e-mail before distributing any .gba or .nds files linked against the libraries included with devkitARM." and caused other forum members to fill your inbox; would that have been more appropriate?
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#134036 - Ant6n - Tue Jul 10, 2007 6:58 am

wintermute wrote:
...
While I understand your concerns about licensing I feel that your methods of addressing them are highly inappropriate. ...

Please excuse my ignorance, but why is it inappropriate? I understand there are several ways of addressing a possible problem, but I really don't follow this part of forum etiquete, i.e. how this way would voilate it.

#134070 - wintermute - Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:54 pm

Forum etiquette generally dictates that hijacking threads in order to pursue a personal agenda is considered extremely poor form.

Tepples appears to be going out of his way to publically expose a problem which does not exist.

Using the devkitPro toolchains and associated support libraries for their intended purpose will not infringe any license.
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#134072 - tepples - Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:58 pm

wintermute wrote:
Tepples appears to be going out of his way to publically expose a problem which does not exist.

But I did not know that it did not exist until I pursued it. Thanks for your reassurances; I'll shut up about it for a while.
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-- Where is he?
-- Who?
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-- I think he moved to Tilwick.