Licence

Georg Wrede georg.wrede at nospam.org
Wed May 3 01:35:55 PDT 2006


Don Clugston wrote:
> Georg Wrede wrote:
> 
>> 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.
> 
> 
> I thought the compiler front end was only free for use for open-source 
> compilers?

I've no idea. After all, this was just a draft proposal, so the "sorta, 
kinda, overall of it" was the point. :-)  Then again, if I don't have an 
idea, then this has brought up that too.

But thinking about what's best for D itself, maybe the FE _should_ be 
free for non-open-source too.



More information about the Digitalmars-d mailing list