VOSS 3.150.02 odbms for VA Smalltalk

[John Clapperton]

Version 3.150 improves administrative integrity safeguards; in particular, each most recent transaction commit timestamp is now stored in new header records in each of the files which comprise a virtual space (.vs1, .vs2, .tsq, .tlb), in addition to the existing .vot header record. Log-on is blocked if these do not match, safeguarding the virtual space against accidental mixups with the files.

The new header records are automatically added to existing virtual spaces during the first two garbage collector flips. No administrative action is required.

Note that virtual spaces which have been flipped at least once by version 3.150 cannot thereafter be used with any earlier version of VOSS, as earlier versions do not expect the header records to be there. Similarly, virtual spaces created by version 3.150 cannot be used with any earlier release of VOSS for the same reason.

There is a bug fix in VOSortedDictionary>>forKeyMatches: (matching String keys with wild * and # characters) replacing the erroneous case-sensitive #= comparison by #voEQ: which looks at the VOSSRoot>>caseSensitiveKeys global variable to decide what to do.

In this area, it has been suggested that it would be useful to give each instance of VOSortedDictionary (and therefore its subclass VirtualDictionary, and by extension, the VOAutoDictionary components of VirtualDictionarySet etc) its own #caseSensitiveKeys attribute. If you have views on this please let me know.

VOSS 3.150.02 is available for download under the GPLv3 open source licence here http://voss.logicarts.com/downloads.

John
jc@logicarts.com
http://voss.logicarts.com

[marten]

VOSS 3.150.02 is available for download under the GPLv3 open source licence here http://voss.logicarts.com/downloads.

John
jc@logicarts.com
http://voss.logicarts.com

I simply do not understand this. How can you offer VOSS and GPL v3 - at least under VASmalltalk ? Reading your license statement

Note that under the terms of GPL v3 Your entire product incorporating the Software must comply with the same GPL v3 licence, including the host Smalltalk Virtual Machine and Development System, whose use may be differently restricted under the terms of its licence.

I would interpret this, that VOSS may be GPL v3, which is ok, but VOSS may not be used together (even for development purposes) with the product VASmalltalk on the GPL v3 license, because the later one does not comply with GPL v3 license ... on the other hand VOSS is only available for VASmalltalk.

Marten

[John Clapperton]

Hi Marten,

I don't think I can do better than quote from the previous discussion of this in October 2007, so with your indulgence, I'll copy my reply from that time (some of which is quoted from other GPL-related documents), and please feel free to comment if you have a different interpretation of the GPL. Any explanation here is of course without prejudice to actual licence terms. This is what I wrote in 2007:

>>
Thanks for your interest. VOSS is offered under dual licensing, GPL and/or Commercial. To clarify, without prejudice, the GPL as I
understand it, and which is the intention in the VOSS licence, distinguishes between end-use and distribution (propagation), and the
GPL "copyleft" requirement, that everything in the same application also be GPL, applies to distribution only.


Modifications to a distributed GPL module must themselves be GPL, and modules statically or dynamically linked into the same
executable must also be GPL, whether the linking is done before or after distribution.


Other software included in a product package, but which runs in a separate operating system process, invoking or invoked by a GPL
module and typically communicating via data streams, would not normally be subject to the GPL, nor does the GPL cross the boundary
between operating system and user space.


An application which includes GPL and non-GPL components may be freely used internally for application development and/or end-use,
including on a web server, though not if it is exported to run behind a client's firewall. The definition of "internally" would
probably include wholly-owned subsidiaries, but not sub-contractors. Legal advice may be necessary (IANAL and the Commercial licence
may be cheaper).


A negotiable Commercial licence, sometimes in any case a customer requirement, is available for VOSS as an alternative, avoiding the
GPL restrictions and including a support package.
<<

Regards,
John
http://voss.logicarts.com