about Octave's syntax

[Sergei Steshenko]

--- On Thu, 7/2/09, Jaroslav Hajek <highegg at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Jaroslav Hajek <highegg at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: about Octave's syntax
> To: "Sergei Steshenko" <sergstesh at yahoo.com>
> Cc: "Søren Hauberg" <soren at hauberg.org>, "Eduardo Alejandro Cuesta Llanes" <eacuesta at estudiantes.uci.cu>, help-octave at octave.org
> Date: Thursday, July 2, 2009, 2:02 AM
> 2009/7/2 Sergei Steshenko <sergstesh at yahoo.com>:
> >
> >
> >
> > --- On Thu, 7/2/09, Jaroslav Hajek <highegg at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >> From: Jaroslav Hajek <highegg at gmail.com>
> >> Subject: Re: about Octave's syntax
> >> To: "Sergei Steshenko" <sergstesh at yahoo.com>
> >> Cc: "Søren Hauberg" <soren at hauberg.org>,
> "Eduardo Alejandro Cuesta Llanes" <eacuesta at estudiantes.uci.cu>,
> help-octave at octave.org
> >> Date: Thursday, July 2, 2009, 1:43 AM
> >> On Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 10:29 AM,
> >
> > [snip]
> >
> >> IIRC, the license issues of BSD vs. GPL are fairly
> clear
> >> and well
> >> documented. A derivative work combining GPL and
> BSD must be
> >> under GPL.
> >> If you don't like it, don't make a derivative work
> - there
> >> are plenty
> >> of options.
> >
> > [snip]
> >
> >>
> >> Obviously, most of the Octave language was derived
> from
> >> Matlab. I
> >> don't think the formal grammar for the latter was
> ever
> >> published.
> >>
> >> --
> >> RNDr. Jaroslav Hajek
> >> computing expert & GNU Octave developer
> >> Aeronautical Research and Test Institute (VZLU)
> >> Prague, Czech Republic
> >> url: www.highegg.matfyz.cz
> >>
> >
> > Sp, do I understand you correctly:
> >
> > 1) 'octave' is a derived work of 'matlab' - because of
> the language;
> 
> No.
> 
> > 2) anything that uses 'octave' syntax is a derived
> work of 'octave', and
> > thus should be released under GPL ?
> 
> No.
> 
> Please read the GPL text to find out what constitutes a
> derivative work.
> 
> >
> > :-).
> >
> > That was my point - the OP maybe wanted in no way his
> work to be considered
> > to be derived works of 'ocatave'.
> >
> 
> GPL is (relatively) clear about what derivative works are,
> and using a
> GPL software means agreeing with GPL. It's not really
> relevant what
> the OP (or anyone else) wants, beyond the point that he can
> choose to
> not use the software at all (which is only logical when one
> disagrees
> with software license).
> 
> -- 
> RNDr. Jaroslav Hajek
> computing expert & GNU Octave developer
> Aeronautical Research and Test Institute (VZLU)
> Prague, Czech Republic
> url: www.highegg.matfyz.cz
> 

I think the most logical thing (and OP did it) is to ask a question first.

Presence of separate from code language spec/grammar allows (in many cases)
to write a parser under any license.

Regards,
  Sergei.