[R-gui] GPL licensing issues with a commercial R GUI

[Karim Chine]

Michael, All,

You may want to check the following link: www.biocep.net ,
it's about a general unified open source (Apache 2.0) solution for 
integrating R.
I have been working on it for about a year and a half, it's still work 
in progress but most of the announced features are in full working order.
I should release it before the tutorial I will be giving during useR! 
2008 (http://www.statistik.uni-dortmund.de/useR-2008/tutorials/chine.html)
Biocep use cases include : run R as a Server (RMI,HTTP,SOAP) , generate 
Web Services for R functions (stateful/stateless), deploy an R 
virtualization infrastructure,
use a highly-productive workbench to control R Servers  ( multi-platform 
GUI for R, most advanced one currently available with spreadsheet views, 
embedded jEdit,
interactive Zoom/Scroll on R graphics, extensibility with plugins,..) 
and more..
Slides can be found here : 
http://biocep-distrib.r-forge.r-project.org/distR.pdf

Best wishes,

Karim
Michael Lawrence wrote:
> Rserve would be a convenient means to get around dynamic linking.
>
> The "derivative work" clause of the GPL has never been clear to me. Where to
> draw the line? Why should piping data between processes be treated any
> different from dynamic linking? They're just different interfaces to achieve
> approximately the same effect.
>
> On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 4:15 AM, Gavin Simpson <gavin.simpson at ucl.ac.uk>
> wrote:
>
>   
>> I am not a lawyer, but at important distinction here is what one means
>> by "linked". You're not linking against R if you just run some R code
>> through it and capture the output for example. This is how Brodgar, for
>> example, does what Serge wants to achieve --- see their statement on R,
>> Brodgar and the GPL:
>>
>> www.brodgar.com
>>
>> http://www.brodgar.com/brodgar.htm#2.%20Brodgar%20and%20R
>>
>> Whilst, from a personal point of view agree with Michael's statement
>> about producing an open source app and then sell support, we all don;t
>> have to follow that moral.
>>
>> G
>>
>> On Tue, 2008-05-13 at 02:05 -0700, Michael Lawrence wrote:
>>     
>>> Well, there's a big question as to whether non-GPL can link to GPL code.
>>> It's never been really tested in court. If I were you, I'd just make it
>>> open-source and sell your support for it.
>>>
>>> On Sun, May 11, 2008 at 5:19 AM, Serge Merzliakov <
>>>       
>> smerzlia at optusnet.com.au>
>>     
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>       
>>>> All,
>>>>  I am interested in devloping a commercial java-based (why the
>>>>         
>> language is
>>     
>>>> important is discussed later) GUI for R. The app would allow the GUI
>>>>         
>> to edit
>>     
>>>> R commands and the results displayed in varios means. I have
>>>>         
>> investigated
>>     
>>>> various java based libraries to invoke R and they follow the apache
>>>>         
>> license
>>     
>>>> model (friendlier to commercial software developers). I understand the
>>>>         
>> that
>>     
>>>> R is released under the GPL license, which I have a reasonable
>>>>         
>> understanding
>>     
>>>> of.  SO my question is simple, Can I develop a a commerical GUI for R
>>>>         
>> (which
>>     
>>>> would require R to be isntalled separately on the machine) without
>>>>         
>> having to
>>     
>>>> also release my source code ?
>>>>
>>>> I am hoping that some of core R development team see this and can
>>>>         
>> provide
>>     
>>>> useful feedback.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>> Serge
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> R-SIG-GUI mailing list
>>>> R-SIG-GUI at stat.math.ethz.ch
>>>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-sig-gui
>>>>
>>>>         
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>>>
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>> --
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>>  Dr. Gavin Simpson             [t] +44 (0)20 7679 0522
>>  ECRC, UCL Geography,          [f] +44 (0)20 7679 0565
>>  Pearson Building,             [e] gavin.simpsonATNOSPAMucl.ac.uk
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>
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