[tex-live] Problem with pax.win32

[Robin Fairbairns]

Philip Taylor <P.Taylor at Rhul.Ac.Uk> wrote:

> Reinhard Kotucha wrote:
> 
> > We considered Active Perl in 2007 already and came to the conclusion
> > that its license is much too restrictive for TeX Live.
> >
> > Not only distribution is problematic, there are severe restictions
> > on usage, especially in commercial environments.  I've installed TeX
> > Live on a server at work, hence the Active State license is
> > completely inacceptable.
> 
> Could the installer not ask "Is this is personal, academic, commercial
> or other installation ?", and proceed accordingly ?

and if you answer "commercial", it would ... what?

(obvious answer: "ha ha ... i can't carry on".)

> > Since Siep compiled Perl herself, the Perl shipped with TeX Live is
> > under GPL.  This is very important.  I've been using TeX Live at
> > work for many years and it's a requirement that I can use it without
> > any restrictions and that I don't have to worry about licenses.
> >
> > I don't see any advantages in a replacement.
> 
> Surely the advantages are manifest ? If the replacement were a full
> Perl that could execute all the Perl scripts included as standard
> in a TeX Live distribution, would that not be of enormous benefit
> to TeX Live users whose operating system does not of itself include
> a full Perl distribution ?
> 
> However, before proceeding any further with this line of argument,
> let us also consider Martin's comment :
> 
> Martin Schröder wrote:> 2014-03-30 16:56 GMT+02:00 Robin Fairbairns
> 
> > OTOH we only want free software on the DVDs.
> 
> If the content of TeX Live is dictated, even in part, by overtly
> political considerations such as the above, then any further argument
> on a more rational basis will be a complete and utter waste of time,
> and I shall therefore say no more on this topic.

when we were first discussing sebastian's project in the uk tug
committee, we all agreed that [what became] tex live should only offer
free software.  were you not on the committee back then? -- in my
recollection you were.

we're only discussing the present-day descendant of that policy, here.

robin