License Compatibility for Brazilian Structural Design Codes Calculator

[engdham]

Hello,

I'm creating a small python based software for structural calculations, based on Brazilian ABNT NBR 8800:2008 (and in the future, ABNT NBR 14762:2010) design codes.

Right now it's basically a profile calculator that verifies if it's safe or not while making a ridiculously simple report. Actually only traction and compression were implemented at the moment.

I'm trying to separate the GUI from the calculations in modules, by profile type (Welded, Cold Formed, Hot Rolled, etc).

I'd like to release the codes in an open-source license, preferably having compatibility with FreeCAD to reuse this code in the future on the FEM/Arch/BIM Workbench or alike.

So I'd like to know what are my license options to make it available to the broadest public possible alongside FreeCAD.

I have thought on CC-BY-SA 4.0, LGPL 3... but licensing it's a complex beast and I can't make a mistake at this point... So, any help is welcome

Thank you!

[triplus]

Hi @engdham.

Both mentioned licenses are compatible with FreeCAD license.

[yorik]

licensing it's a complex beast

You are quite right there

FreeCAD uses LGPL2+. We prefer to keep the "core" FreeCAD code all with the same license, because we had a lot of license headache in the past (with FreeCAD removed from distros, etc). That means, either LGPL2+, or one that is even more permissive like MIT or BSD. Beware that it's apparently problematic to mix LGPL2 and LGPL3 code...

But, that's only for code that is meant to be included directly into the FreeCAD core. Now, we have a growing ecosystem of add-ons around FreeCAD, and the idea is to develop and integrate that much more. If you plan to keep your work as a separate add-on (which I recommend), then the LGPL2+ restriction doesn't apply, as FreeCAD does not depend on your code. You can use any license you want, as long as it can depend on LGPL code (which is the case of all open-source licenses). The main question for you to choose basically is if you allow commercial derivates of your work (then choose a permissive one like LGPL, MIT or BSD) or not (then choose a strict one like GPL)

[bernd]

wow very cool, try to separate the code dependend cod as well. Id be interested to add Swiss code !

[Aleks]

licensing it's a complex beast

You are quite right there

FreeCAD uses LGPL2+. We prefer to keep the "core" FreeCAD code all with the same license, because we had a lot of license headache in the past (with FreeCAD removed from distros, etc). That means, either LGPL2+, or one that is even more permissive like MIT or BSD. Beware that it's apparently problematic to mix LGPL2 and LGPL3 code...

But, that's only for code that is meant to be included directly into the FreeCAD core. Now, we have a growing ecosystem of add-ons around FreeCAD, and the idea is to develop and integrate that much more. If you plan to keep your work as a separate add-on (which I recommend), then the LGPL2+ restriction doesn't apply, as FreeCAD does not depend on your code. You can use any license you want, as long as it can depend on LGPL code (which is the case of all open-source licenses). The main question for you to choose basically is if you allow commercial derivates of your work (then choose a permissive one like LGPL, MIT or BSD) or not (then choose a strict one like GPL)

You are saying that FreeCAD is licensed unter LGPLv2 but when I look in the Github repo it is in fact GPLv2. Am I missing something?

[Aleks]

nevermind, I found the answer. It looks like its the predecessor to LGPL. Its a little confusing nonetheless.
EDIT: LGPL (gnu lesser general public license) != LGPL (Gnu library general public license)