[mythtv-users] A new theme on the way...

[Michael T. Dean]

On 10/22/2009 09:57 PM, Bill Williamson wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 23, 2009 at 12:47 PM, Nick Rout wrote:
>   
>> On Fri, Oct 23, 2009 at 1:38 PM, Bill Williamson wrote:
>>     
>>> On Fri, Oct 23, 2009 at 11:36 AM, Nick Morrott wrote:
>>>       
>>>> 2009/10/23 Christopher Meredith:
>>>>         
>>>>> On Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 7:25 PM, Bill Williamson wrote:
>>>>>           
>>>>>> Serious question:  Given the recent determination from the FSF about
>>>>>> WordPress, isn't this theme GPL licensed by default?  If not, why not?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> They found javascript and CSS were not required to be GPL because they
>>>>>> are loaded by the web browser, not by wordpress itself, but that any
>>>>>> themes (whether or not they are "executable code") are considered
>>>>>> derivative work if a GPLd application is interpreting items in it,
>>>>>> which would seem to be the case here.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It is, of course, up to the myth copyright/left holder(s) as to
>>>>>> whether or not to enforce it.
>>>>>>             
>>>>> Bill, could you provide a link? I'm not familiar with this determination.
>>>>>           
>>>> Not the FSF, but a similar determination from the SFLC:
>>>>
>>>> http://wordpress.org/development/2009/07/themes-are-gpl-too/
>>>>         
>>> Yeah, I was confused.  It was the SFLC, not FSF.
>>>       
>> Well even if the xml is forced into being GPL, surely the images aren't.
> Correct, they're served, not interpreted.

I can assure you that nothing is executing the XML in a MythTV theme and 
the XML in a MythTV theme is not using "earlier-prepared information to 
fill the templates for serving to the client."  Rather, the mythfrontend 
(and to a smaller extend, the mythtv-setup) code is preparing 
information and arranging it using the layout instructions from the 
theme (more akin to the CSS in a wordpress theme).  There are no "calls 
to [MythTV] functions [nor] sparse, minimal logic to control which 
[MythTV] functions are accessed and how many times they will be called" 
in the theme XML.  In short, "nothing in those [theme XML] files calls 
any [MythTV] functions, is treated as a command by [MythTV], or alters 
any other [MythTV] data structure."

Furthermore, the XML is interpreted no more than the HTML that's 
interpreted by my GPL-compliant Minefield*** browser.  If a GPL 
program's interpreting markup makes that markup GPL'ed, MS will be 
/very/ upset with me for having visited their web site with my GPL'ed 
browser.

Interpreting PHP for executing within a program licensed under the GPL 
using API's created for and by that GPL'ed program as well as using 
information passed to the PHP by the GPL'ed program for further 
processing, however, is a whole other story.

Get the SFLC to say that MythTV themes must be GPL'ed and I might 
believe it.  A second-hand re-interpretation of something else they said 
doesn't carry the same weight.

This is my own personal opinion.  I am not a lawyer.

I'm sorry for replying to this thread that needs to die.  I will now 
drop the subject.  I promise to say nothing more in this thread.

Mike

*** I didn't agree to the Firefox-trademark license, so I don't get to 
use the Firefox name.