dmd Backend converted to Boost License

[rikki cattermole via Digitalmars-d-announce]

On 07/04/2017 10:03 PM, WhatMeWorry wrote:
> On Friday, 7 April 2017 at 15:14:40 UTC, Walter Bright wrote:
>> https://github.com/dlang/dmd/pull/6680
>>
>> Yes, this is for real! Symantec has given their permission to
>> relicense it. Thank you, Symantec!
>
> I've been coding in D for years now but was unaware of this issue. Could
> someone give this licensing neophyte an explanation and some history?

So dmd's backend came directly from dmc. This makes sense as this is the 
time of Digital Mars creation (Walter has been working with this code 
base pretty much since before I was born).
Because of how history went, it was owned by Symantic yet Digital Mars 
still developed it.

So its usage within dmd caused problems, i.e. with packaging and 
distributing because it required explicit permission from Digital Mars 
so that Symantic wouldn't get sued.

Maybe Walter can clarify but this is what I have gathered over the years.