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

[Anton Gladky]

On 05/19/2013 11:44 AM, Francesco Poli wrote:
> On Sun, 19 May 2013 11:04:54 +0200 Anton Gladky wrote:
> 
> [...]
>> May I upload the current FreeCAD version into backports, linked against
>> the old Coin3D version?
> 
> I am under the impression that the same reasoning that led to the
> decision to remove freecad from wheezy would apply to wheezy-backport
> as well.
> Or am I missing something?

Well it is unclear, whether the old Coin3D version was relicensed under
BSD or not. Upstream did not answer the question. If it was relicensed,
then we can safely upload it into backports.

> [...]
>> 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.
> 
> That's really unfortunate: it's the exact scenario that I feared it
> would materialize.
> That's why I have been struggling since April 2009 in
> order to persuade OpenCASCADE S.A.S. to re-license the OpenCASCADE
> Technology framework under GPL-compatible terms...
> No public news from them on this front yet, sadly.  :-(
> http://bugs.debian.org/617613#173
> 
> Please recall that this would be the ideal solution: so I renew my call
> for help on this front.
> This is what I have repeated like a broken record for ages: please get
> in touch with OpenCASCADE S.A.S. and persuade them to re-license the
> OpenCASCADE Technology framework under GPL-compatible terms!
> http://bugs.debian.org/617613#5
> http://bugs.debian.org/617613#59

Francesco, I do appreciate your try to do it. But I think, if
OpenCASCADE S.A.S does not really want to do it, we can do almost
nothing with that. You are not the one, who was trying to do it, but no
decision yet.

> On the other hand, getting rid of all the GPL-licensed parts and
> dependencies of FreeCAD is a sub-optimal solution (although it's still
> a solution for FreeCAD...). The re-licensing of Coin3D under a BSD
> license is a step towards the sub-optimal solution (the other step is
> getting rid of any remaining GPL-licensed code included in FreeCAD
> itself).
> http://bugs.debian.org/617613#158

This sub-optimal solution is unfortunately the only possible one now to
keep the package in Debian. It would be also good to warn the new
projects, who are starting to use Opencascade, about possible problems
with the license in the future.

Thanks,

Anton


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