According to the rules a file with a different licensing would not be allowed to be included as GPLv3 for distribution. A user could include it for personal use but could not distribute it as GPLv3.
Again this is meant as a friendly exchange of opinions and is part of my research in software development. Regards, John S On Wed, Feb 11, 2026 at 11:06 AM John Sarabacha <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Carsten, > So if I wrote a Windows11 application and gave it a GPLv3 licensing and > included > the header file "windows.h", it and all it's nested includes would now be > GPLv3 and > Microsoft is forced to release it's source code with any distribution. > How long do you think it would take before Microsoft police would show up > at my door? > I am sure Linus (Linux creator) knew this as well. > > Again intended as a friendly exchange, > Regards, > John S > > On Wed, Feb 11, 2026 at 3:51 AM Carsten Strotmann via Amforth-devel < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Hi, >> >> On 11 Feb 2026, at 9:32, John Sarabacha wrote: >> >> > dedicatedcomputer.ca/test >> > Please examine the license terms on riscv_pal.h >> >> I'm not a lawyer, but in my experience with these kinds of questions, >> "riscv_pal.h" is clearly part of the final product, included into >> "dict_prims.c", which is "Licensing Compatible with AmForth (GPL3)", which >> equals GPLv3, so "riscv_pal.h" must also be licensed under GPLv3. >> >> > If I supply this file it doesn't mean I give up my rights under this >> > license. >> >> Well, from the nature of the license and the nature of the code, you've >> placed the code in "riscv_pal.h" under GPLv3. >> >> > Sometimes this freeness is not always on equal terms. Some will take >> > advantage. >> >> Yes, and that is why people choose GPLv3 to prevent that people take >> advantage. >> >> Greetings >> >> Carsten >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Amforth-devel mailing list for http://amforth.sf.net/ >> [email protected] >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/amforth-devel >> > _______________________________________________ Amforth-devel mailing list for http://amforth.sf.net/ [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/amforth-devel
