From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Mario Lang Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: A plea for dynamically loadable extension modules Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 15:43:48 +0200 Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: <87k7a0i0yz.fsf@lexx.delysid.org> References: <87wue0i51a.fsf@lexx.delysid.org> <871xw8i3tr.fsf@tapsellferrier.co.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1059572760 25915 80.91.224.249 (30 Jul 2003 13:46:00 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 13:46:00 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Wed Jul 30 15:45:55 2003 Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 19hrGf-0006N7-00 for ; Wed, 30 Jul 2003 15:45:25 +0200 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.12 #1 (Debian)) id 19hrIe-0006Wb-00 for ; Wed, 30 Jul 2003 15:47:28 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.20) id 19hrFx-0002mB-5n for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Wed, 30 Jul 2003 09:44:41 -0400 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.20) id 19hrFc-0002dG-Sm for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 30 Jul 2003 09:44:20 -0400 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.20) id 19hrFO-0001z4-HM for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 30 Jul 2003 09:44:06 -0400 Original-Received: from chello080109223066.lancity.graz.surfer.at ([80.109.223.66] helo=lexx.delysid.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.20) id 19hrFA-0001il-EP for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 30 Jul 2003 09:43:52 -0400 Original-Received: from mlang by lexx.delysid.org with local (Exim 3.36 #1 (Debian)) id 19hrF6-0003mZ-00; Wed, 30 Jul 2003 15:43:48 +0200 Original-To: Nic In-Reply-To: <871xw8i3tr.fsf@tapsellferrier.co.uk> (nferrier@tapsellferrier.co.uk's message of "30 Jul 2003 13:42:08 +0100") User-Agent: Gnus/5.1002 (Gnus v5.10.2) Emacs/21.3 (gnu/linux) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2 Precedence: list List-Id: Emacs development discussions. List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:15738 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:15738 Nic writes: > Mario Lang writes: > >> Is there any chance that we get the dynloading extention >> for 21.4? If not, could you please explain why? > > I think rms made a statement on this subject a number of months > ago. The reason dynamic loading has not been included in emacs so far > is that there would then be the potential of breaking the terms of > the licence under which emacs is distributed. > > The GPL requires all code linked to emacs to also be Free. If > dynamic linking was allowed that couldn't be gauranteed. I do not fully understand this. If the use of non-free code in Emacs is explicitly forbidden, what is the problem then? If someone would use a dynamic loader extention to integrate commercial code with Emacs, he would just violate the license. That is basicly the same thing you could do now already. One could extend emacs with some code which links against non-free libraries. That would be a violation of the GPL, and would be illegal. > The reason guile can do it is that guile is licenced under the > GPL+exception which allows for linking to non-commercial code. Please understand me right, I do not want to link non-free code into Emacs. I want to link free code into Emacs. So I do not understand why this is relevant. I am not looking for a loophole to allow linking of non-free code into my favourite environment, what I would like to have is the ability to interface with existing free libraries, like the GNOME AT-SPI, without having to patch and recompile Emacs. -- CYa, Mario | Debian Developer | Get my public key via finger mlang@db.debian.org | 1024D/7FC1A0854909BCCDBE6C102DDFFC022A6B113E44