[Ffmpeg-cvslog] r5508 - trunk/configure

[Måns Rullgård]

Michael Niedermayer <michaelni at gmx.at> writes:

> Hi
>
> On Wed, Jun 21, 2006 at 09:54:24PM +0100, M?ns Rullg?rd wrote:
>> mru <subversion at mplayerhq.hu> writes:
>> 
>> > allow recent libfaad versions with new function names
>> 
>> I'm doing this even though the new faad license is self-contradicting.
>> The license mess makes it non-distributable, GPL-incompatible, and
>> other evil things.  However, it is not our job to prevent people from
>> using it if they have installed it themselves.
>
> if a user links ffmpeg with non-distributable, GPL-incompatible code
> thats one thing, but this rather looked like its used by default and
> automatically

The "bad" faad is only used if the user installed it.  AFAIK, no
distros ship it (for obvious reasons).

> the user might for example have a faad license outside what the public
> has so he could have libfaad installed entirely legaly while ffmpeg then
> would use it and violate the copyright of all authors whos code either
> directly or indirectly is used in ffmpeg ...

They would only (possibly) be violating the ffmpeg license if they
distributed the compiled binaries.  As long as the license permits
unrestricted use (not distribution) of the code, we should not make
the configure script more restrictive.

Besides, the new function names were introduced a year before the
license change.  There is no reason at all we should disallow versions
from the time between.

-- 
M?ns Rullg?rd
mru at inprovide.com