Use Emacs as the IDE for Wolfram Mathematica.

[Christopher Dimech <dimech@gmx.com>]

> Sent: Monday, May 24, 2021 at 11:54 PM
> From: "Jean Louis" <bugs@gnu.support>
> To: "Christopher Dimech" <dimech@gmx.com>
> Cc: moasenwood@zoho.eu, help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
> Subject: Re: Use Emacs as the IDE for Wolfram Mathematica.
>
> * Christopher Dimech <dimech@gmx.com> [2021-05-24 14:43]:
> > > Otherwise you cannot make proprietary program combined with GPL-ed
> > > program.
> >
> > Correct, only when combined.
>
> It is combined even if not distributed together. You are combining
> program when one program needs the other one for proper functions.
>
> Thus, what people call "init files" or "configuration files" are
> actually programs that modify Emacs and are bound to GPL and have to
> be licensed properly.

You can add functionality as you wish.  When you use emacs for personal use, you
are not bound to GPL Licensed code only.

> > > People can do anything, we speak what is allowed by the license, now
> > > what one can do. The license of a GPL program does not allow making a
> > > combined program with it and not license it under same terms.
> >
> > I was not talking about combined programs.  I was discussing writing
> > a package distributed separately with a proprietary license.
>
> If that package runs without modification of Emacs software, it does
> not modify Emacs, it is just data that is interpreted. It also cannot
> require any of GPL libraries that are GPL licensed. However, majority
> of packages are written with the purpose to modify Emacs. Not to use
> Emacs Lisp solely for its own purposes.

It could be for personal use, but not part of emacs.

> If you write such code, under conditions not to modify Emacs, not to
> use GPL-ed libraries, then it could be proprietary. Otherwise legally
> it cannot be. Question is why would anybody use Emacs to write such
> interpreted programs when there are many other programming languages
> with MIT licensed libraries.

You are correct, I was talking from the legal point of view, and about emacs support
for Wolfram Mathematica.  Ubuntu is one such system, where you have free software where
proprietary code is added to it.

> MIT licensed libraries one can use how one wants, GPL-ed no.

MIT has used many licenses, and it is ambiguous because many faili to distinguish
between them.  One should not use the term "MIT License".

> --
> Jean
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