[Python-modules-team] Bug#515200: pycurl and openssl

[Guido Trotter]

Hi Sandro,

We stomped into #515200 the other day, while looking for ways to use pycurl to
replace some functionality in our code. I'm willing to followup with Debian
Legal, but looking at the license of pycurl (which is LGPL or MIT/X) there
should definitely be no problem in compiling it with OpenSSL. What is forbidden
is linking pure GPL programs with OpenSSL, but this wouldn't happen here, as
pycurl is not under the GPL. What would be less clear is the status of pure GPL
software using pycurl+openssl (rather than pycurl+gnutls), and distributed by
Debian. But various packages can continue to depend on the gnutls version to
stay compatible, and also I'm not even sure using a python library would
qualify as "linking". Anyway, would you agree that if debian-legal is not
against, we can proceed providing an alternative version? The license seems to
be completely allowing this.

Thanks,

Guido