Re: libgit2 - a true git library

> Nicolas Pitre <nico@cam.org> writes:
> 
> > My favorite license for a library is the GPL with the gcc exception,
> > i.e. what libraries coming with gcc are using.  They're GPL but with an 
> > exception allowing them to be linked with anything.
> 
> Although I'd be Ok with either GPL + gcc exception on whatever core-ish
> (i.e. what will be necessary for libgit2; "blame" would not count) pieces
> I have in C-git codebase, "can be linked with anything" allows a gaping
> hole to the library, which I'm a bit hesitant to swallow without thinking.

> E.g.  our read_object() may look like this:
> 
>          void *read_object(const object_name_t sha1,
>                            enum object_type *type,
>                            size_t *size)
>          {
>                  ...
>          }
> 
> 
> but an extension a closed-source person may sell you back may do:
> 
>         +typedef void *read_object_fn(const object_name_t,
>         +                             enum object_type *,
>         +                             size_t *);
>         +read_object_fn read_object_custom = NULL;
>          void *read_object(const object_name_t sha1,
>                            enum object_type *type,
>                            size_t *size)
>          {
>         +       if (read_object_custom != NULL)
>         +               return read_object_custom(sha1, type, size);
>                 ...
>          }
> 
> I.e. use the supplied custom function to do proprietary magic, such as
> reading the object lazily from elsewhere over the network.  And we will
> never get that magic bit back.