Re: pgAdminIII - licence and code reuse

Knut P. Lehre wrote:
> Hi
>
> Thanks for the great pgAdmin tool!
> I am currently working on an application using a postgresql backend.
> The last version of my application is based on another GUI library,
> but I now consider switching to wxWidgets. In pgAdminIII there are a
> lot of relevant code examples.
>
> 1) Have I understood it correctly that the artistic licence allows
> free reuse of pgAdminIII code in other executables, if the original
> pgAdminIII executable is enclosed? Wouldn't an acknowledgement in
> the "About dialog" of the program reusing code from pgAdminIII be
> better than enclosing the original pgAdminIII without stating that
> pgAdminIII code has been used in the other program? Of course,
> the advantage of enclosing pgAdminIII is that it will help promoting/
> distributing the pgAdminIII program. The latter might be one of the
> reasons why you have choosen that licence?

The licence gives you four options, once you have complied with the top
part:

---------------
You may otherwise modify your copy of this Package in any way, provided
that you insert a prominent notice in each changed file stating how and
when you changed that file, and provided that you do at least ONE of the
following:

a) place your modifications in the Public Domain or otherwise make them
Freely Available, such as by posting said modifications to Usenet or an
equivalent medium, or placing the modifications on a major archive site
such as ftp.uu.net, or by allowing the Copyright Holder to include your
modifications in the Standard Version of the Package.

b) use the modified Package only within your corporation or organization.

c) rename any non-standard executables so the names do not conflict with
standard executables, which must also be provided, and provide a
separate manual page for each non-standard executable that clearly
documents how it differs from the Standard Version.

d) make other distribution arrangements with the Copyright Holder.
---------------

> 2) Would it be appropriate to hire a pgAdminIII developer to help
> developing my wxWidgets application, which would then be partly based
> on code from pgAdminIII, if the new code is not transferred back to
> the pgAdminIII project because the new application is part of a
> commercial project?

You can certainly hire a pgAdmin developer if you like (I would suggest
Andreas: http://www.pse-consulting.de/, as pgAdmin developers are a rare
breed, and he's the only on I know that freelances). Andreas would still
have to comply with the licence though - but of course it would be much
easier for him to reimplement code that's in pgAdmin in a non-infringing
way.

Regards, Dave.