Hi, This message is to Sandro Tosi, too.
Thank you very much for that valid, verifiable, and nicely done bug report. I had no idea that GNU LGPL code could not be mixed with GPL library code, but according to your information sources, that is correct. But I think the spirit of it is meant if the LGPL code is used as a library, which it is not, in the Mathomatic Debian package. The Mathomatic symbolic math library version does not use readline at all and is not included in any Debian package yet.
So I will be phasing out the use of GNU readline and re-uploading everything requested with editline used instead. editline appears to work well in the current version of Mathomatic, and is much more compact. Then we will be sure everything is legal according to the licenses.
To start with, I will be uploading a new experimental package with editline, if Sandro accepts it. And then I need to find out how to make the older packages legal. Do I patch them? How do I patch things in Debian? Do I use "diff" or "quilt"? Probably "quilt3", since I need to make changes to the Mathomatic source code to specify editline instead of readline, right Sandro?
Dear Sandro, would it be acceptable to upload the latest and best version of Mathomatic into unstable and get it pushed to testing, even though there is a freeze in effect? Then you could just delete all the old versions, since they are all not acceptable because of license incompatibilities, according to this bug report. This would be the most likely thing to work properly, and get editline into Wheezy Mathomatic. Then I wouldn't even have to upload to experimental. I would like to get the legal Mathomatic into Squeeze too though, because I think there will be problems if you just delete the Squeeze Mathomatic. I can't guarantee the old code will work properly with editline, but I will test it somewhat. I am willing to do the work, if requested, of patching each version of Mathomatic you would like me to, so they are all perfectly legal, yet remain the old versions that don't work so well. I just have never made a Debian patch before. Will this article be the most helpful for me?: http://raphaelhertzog.com/2012/08/08/how-to-use-quilt-to-manage-patches-in-debian-packages/
Most of this message is to Sandro Tosi, since he is my most excellent sponsor of Mathomatic and will know what I should do in this case. What are your thoughts on this, Sandro, please? If my computer and I continue to work properly, I will do what you say. Thank you both very much for your time and expertise! I hope you all enjoyed Summer! I am doing oral chemotherapy lately. It is quite interesting, a pill that cures cancer! Amazing! It is called Xeloda. I have to handle the pills with gloves, because it is a poison, like any chemotherapy.
Best Regards, George Gesslein II Author of Mathomatic -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-bugs-dist-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
