Re: Licensing and the client/server divide [was Re: License for mixminion dist]

[Zooko <zooko@zooko.com>]

> To clarify again, I'm proposing that the server be GPL'd, and that the
> client code be LGPL'd or BSD'd.  Code shared between them should be
> LGPL'd or BSD'd.  By definition, server code will be the code you don't
> need to link to in order to send/receive messages.

Sorry if I'm being obtuse, Nick.  The thing is, I envision all this as running 
in a single instance of the Python interpreter (except possibly with some 
third-party code acting as a client through a C API -- such code would get 
dynamically linked to the Python interpreter).  If *any* of the Python code 
running in that interpreter is GPL'ed then any application that (dynamically)
links to the interpreter is covered by its terms, right?  Even if it doesn't 
invoke any of the Python functions that are defined by the Work that is GPL'ed.

So we can either add an amendment to the GPL saying "this doesn't apply to code 
that gets linked in unless such code also invokes functions defined in this 
Work" or something... ?  Then our license would have three kinds of 
connection in its terms: being a "Derived Work", "linking", and "invoking 
functions".  Even the normal GPL that refers to only the first two seems vague 
to me.

Maybe I misunderstand how the GPL works in this instance.

Regards,

Zooko