Bug#617613: May I upload FreeCAD into wheezy-backports?

[Anton Gladky]

Dear all,

FreeCAD has been removed from Wheezy during the freeze period due to the
bug #617613 (links with both GPL-licensed and GPL-incompatible
libraries). Though, seems, the issue is "almost" resolved, it is still
not clear, whether is it possible to distribute the package, linked
against the old Coin3D version.

Adam D. Barratt has summarized the problem and asked the upstream to
clear it [1]:

> Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:29:11 +0000
> Coin3D developers - this relates to a license issue in the Debian Linux 
> distribution concerning the linking of Coin3D to code licensed in a 
> GPL-incompatible manner. Later releases of Coin3D were relicensed under 
> a BSD license, but it is unclear whether this applies to earlier 
> releases of the code.
> 
> Please could you confirm whether you consider version 3.1.3 to be 
> released under the BSD-style license as well, or if this version is 
> still covered by the GPL license it was originally released under?

But we still have no an answer from them.

May I upload the current FreeCAD version into backports, linked against
the old Coin3D version?

New Coin3D version is already in experimental, but it requires
transition process. So I think it will be almost impossible to bring the
library into backports as well.

FreeCAD is a popular package and Wheezy's users really need that. I have
got some private mails from them with the question, why FreeCAD is not
in Wheezy and whether is it possible to bring it there.

Thanks all for opinions,

Anton

[1] http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=617613#237

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