Variants and GPL

[CJNyfalt]

Since Vanilla is now fully GPL, it's time to start and take a look at GPL status of variants.

NPP: Maintainer has said that NPP will become available under GPL.

Pos: The license implies that all changes from NPP are under GPL, and that Pos can go GPL once V and NPP have.

S: Most parts are under GPL. main-ibm.c and contributions by Eric Bock are the only code that aren't. (There are more code listed as not-GPL, but the people behind those parts have given GPL permission now.)

Anyone have knowledge about GPL status of more variants?

[Nick]

Quoting from rgra:

For those who've branched variants from Angband from an earlier release, what non-approved code did you have to remove in order to GPL up?

I'll put together a report on the process with details on this and whose code exactly is covered over the next few weeks if that'd be helpful. Don't expect it until February, though-- it'll take a little while to get it sorted.

As far as FA is concerned, for 0.4.0 I'm planning to move as far as possible to the V front ends (and anything else that's recommended), cross my fingers, and release under GPL...

[andrewdoull]

S: Most parts are under GPL. main-ibm.c and contributions by Eric Bock are the only code that aren't. (There are more code listed as not-GPL, but the people behind those parts have given GPL permission now.)

Unfortunately Eric wrote the maze algorithm, which I've heavily derived from in Unangband.

I may have to release a mazeless Unangband variant which is GPL compliant once Andi Sidwell has updated his code.

[Edit: It looks like Eric may have written the RLE for vaults in Angband. Did we get rid of this or is it attributed to another source?]

Andrew

[takkaria]

Unfortunately Eric wrote the maze algorithm, which I've heavily derived from in Unangband.

I may have to release a mazeless Unangband variant which is GPL compliant once Andi Sidwell has updated his code.

Andrew

You could always rewrite it, by describing the algorithm in words and then re-writing it, but it may not be worth it...

[CJNyfalt]

There's of course the possibility that someone manages to track him down and get permission. It's just that there are many people named Eric Bock on the net, so it's hard to know who is the right one.

[konijn_]

Hellband is GPL as well.

T.