Licence

[Brad Roberts]

On Tue, 2 May 2006, Georg Wrede wrote:

> So that (1) we wouldn't have to explain licencing details once a week to
> somebody new, and (2) hordes of people wouldn't turn away thinking "aw, this
> licensing stuff seems [expletive]", I suggest that Walter put a statement
> right on the D main page.
> 
> Something like what's below, should be framed in a big pink box:
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
>         About Licences
>         ==============
> 
> == The *D programming language* ==
> 
> == The Digital Mars D *compiler* (DMD) ==
> 
> == Important detail about DMD ==
> 
> The Digital Mars D compiler (DMD) download consists of four parts, which has
> licencing implications for *other developers of D compilers*:
> 
>  (1) The Compiler Back End.
>  (2) The Compiler Front End.
>  (3) The included libraries.
>  (4) All other files included in the download.
> 
> Digital Mars uses the same proprietary Compiler Back End ((1), above) in the
> DMD compiler as in their other products. This back end is closed source, and
> proprietary. (It is possibly the fastest and most efficient back end on the
> market.)
> 
> If you want to use this Back End in your implementation of a D compiler,
> please contact sales at digitalmars.com, for licensing terms. (We are also
> available as expert consultants for any party developing their own D
> compiler.)
> 
> *All the other parts* (i.e. (2), (3), and (4), above), are free for anyone to
> copy, use, modify, and include in a free or commercial compiler, and for other
> purposes.

The separateness of the compiler from the runtime library and their 
license differences should be called out more prominently.  Probably by 
the libraries having their own top level header and then mentioning that 
dmd and phobos are bundled together for the purposes of distribution.

Later,
Brad