How comes that Swapnut is not GPLed, when Limewire is?

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_gdf/message/4614
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_gdf/message/4617

???

A very good question...

Swap nut is based on the Limewire source code!

Limewire is open source...

Hmm,

I suggest you to ask the developers!

Morgwen

SwapNut has licensed LimeWire code, even before LimeWire went open source.

So Swapnut uses an old snapshot, not GPLed? This means that Swapnut can not be updated without becoming GPL too, since all the new code is GPLed. When someone or LW itself does patch or improve LW code, then this patch can't be apllied to Swapnut (patches on GPL are GPLed too, since they build up on GPLed code). It could be theoretically different, when someone innovates brand new code (not reusing GPLed code), but I guess all the LW code is GPLed?

Greets, Moak

Ok, here's the deal. We licensed our code base to SwapNut before GPLing, as cultiv8r pointed out. This means that, even though we later GPLed our code, SwapNut's version is under a separate license. They cannot, however, incorporate any of LimeWire's code since then that includes open source contributions. They are free, however, to continue working off of the licensed code base and to include updates that were not based on open source contributions (code written by the LimeWire team, which is most of it).

We are not actually sure what everyone over at SwapNut is up to right now, as we have not heard anything from them in awhile, but that's basically the extent of the relationship.

Well, I see, GPL can be attractive and a problem at the same time.
On one side LW contributes with their research to Gnutella, on the other side they can hardly make money with their work (e.g. with new licenses). Hmm... a real problem!

"Ok, here's the deal. We licensed our code base to SwapNut before GPLing, as cultiv8r pointed out. This means that, even though we later GPLed our code, SwapNut's version is under a separate license. They cannot, however, incorporate any of LimeWire's code since then that includes open source contributions. They are free, however, to continue working off of the licensed code base and to include updates that were not based on open source contributions (code written by the LimeWire team, which is most of it).

We are not actually sure what everyone over at SwapNut is up to right now, as we have not heard anything from them in awhile, but that's basically the extent of the relationship." afisk


As long as the code is all written by Limewire. They can do what ever they want with it, even if they release it under the GPL. Because they are the copyright holder.

The problem comes if people, not part of Limwire contributes code. These people are the copyright holder of their perspective code, and Limwire can not do whatever thay want with this code.

I wonder how much of the current Limwire 2.1.1 is not written by Limwire?

That's not true. Read the GPL, once GPL ever GPL. One part GPL, everything GPL. Other open source licenses are different, e.g. BSD license.

Moak,

do you have a link with the agreement?

Morgwen

Google gives:

http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
http://www.opensource.org/