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The short answer is yes.
The long answer...
In general, free software licenses are self-compatible, meaning that you
can take portions of software released under that license and create a
different product using that same license. In fact, this is one of the
basic requirements for a free software license (at least according to
the Debian Free Software Guidelines -
http://www.debian.org/social_contract.html). Your intended use (using
files from one MPL product to build another MPL product) falls into this
category, and is definitely allowed by the MPL. You don't even have to
be careful about what you do...you don't really have to segregate the
legOS originated sources from your own, you can modify however you wish,
etc. Probably the only thing to be careful about is maitaining
authorship and contributor credit where due (e.g. keep Markus' name in
the files, add your own name if you modify them).
The sticky issues come into play when you want to release the second
work under a different license. GPL is quite restrictive in this sense.
You can't take a module from a GPLed program and use it to build a
larger work which is released in a non-GPL manner.
Public domain is at the other end of the spectrum - you can do
absolutely anything you want. The BSD license is also very permissive -
license however you want, just be sure to give credit where due (1).
MPL sits somewhere in the middle. You can't make MPL software non-MPL.
If you take a file and make a mod to it, your modified file is also MPL.
However, MPL does allow the concept of a "larger work", where MPL code
makes up some subset of the larger work. The MPL code still remains MPL
(including whatever mods you made), but the larger work does not have to
be MPL. It could be proprietary (2).
Whether this is "good" or not is a value judgement. When I released
NQC, I felt uncomfortable with the GPL, and opted for MPL. I assume
Markus had similar feelings when he released legOS.
Dave Baum
(1) I'm massively paraphrasing GPL and BSD here. The main point is that
BSD and GPL are at somewhat opposite extremes in terms of compatibility
with other software licenses (free and otherwise).
(2) Doing this is tricky...you need good separation between the MPL and
non-MPL portions of the program, and you still have to keep the MPL part
MPL.
In article <200008071729.e77HTpl04018@ursa.calvin.edu>, Ryan VanderBijl
<rvbijl39@calvin.edu> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm working with TinyVM, an implementation of the Java VM for the
> RCX.
>
> I'm am looking into expanding the LCD capabilities to display text
> characters, and I was hoping to copy some of the data and/or algorithm
> for displaying text.
>
> I am not very familiar with the Mozilla License agreement, and am
> wondering if I would legally be allowed to borrow some of the LCD
> code/information for the TinyVM project. Most of what I would need
> is from kernel/conio.c and include/conio.c.
>
> TinyVM is released under the Mozilla Public License 1.0, as is
> legOS.
>
> I would, of course, give credit.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ryan
>
>
> --
> Ryan VanderBijl http://www.calvin.edu/~rvbijl39
--
reply to: dbaum at enteract dot com
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: license question
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| (...) IIRC, legOS is MPL because Kekoa released some of his code under MPL, and so Markus released the rest under MPL in order to allow him to use that particular section of code. I believe that he once mentioned that his natural leanings would (...) (24 years ago, 9-Aug-00, to lugnet.robotics.rcx.legos)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | license question
|
| Hello, I'm working with TinyVM, an implementation of the Java VM for the RCX. I'm am looking into expanding the LCD capabilities to display text characters, and I was hoping to copy some of the data and/or algorithm for displaying text. I am not (...) (24 years ago, 7-Aug-00, to lugnet.robotics.rcx.legos)
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