Re: Nmap and WinPcap

[Andreas Ericsson <ae () op5 se>]

Fyodor wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 11, 2007 at 04:48:10PM -1100, Hans Nilsson wrote:
> > Here's a version of Nmap that doesn't require WinPcap anything:
> > http://www.download.com/PacketStuff-Network-Toolkit/3000-2085_4-10428838.html
> >
> > You could also take a look at the developers website:
> > http://web.archive.org/web/20060427203232/http://www.packetstuff.com/
>
> While I think the developer means well, it is worth noting that
> distributing GPL-based tools linked to proprietary libraries is a
> copyright violation.  It also must be using an ancient version of Nmap
> given that the package was added to download.com in 2005.
>
> That package links to the Packet Snifer SDK [1], which allows for
> Winpcap-comapatable features in a staticly linked library (rather than
> having to install WinPcap).  For all I know, there product may be
> based on WinPcap code (their BSD-style license allows it).  The
> WinPcap folks themselves have a somewhat-similar product named WinPcap
> professional [2].  I don't know if WinPcap pro can do static linking,
> but it at least works as a stand-alone DLL which eliminates the need
> to install WinPcap separately.
>
> I suppose (if we wanted to) we could add an exception to the Nmap
> license allowing linking to Packet Sniffer SDK or WinPcap Pro, just
> like the current OpenSSL exception.  But I'm hopeful that the free
> version of WinPcap will gain this feature at some point.  If nobody
> else adds it before this, maybe it can be a Google SoC student
> project.

I was under the impression that the license violation occurred to the 
proprietary library in this case (ie, the plaintiff in an imaginary 
court-case would be Packet Sniffer SDK's creators). AFAIK, GPL doesn't 
prevent GPL'd code from linking to non-GPL libraries, only the other way 
around (readline is GPL'd; you can't write programs that use it and not 
GPL those programs).

-- 
Andreas Ericsson                   andreas.ericsson () op5 se
OP5 AB                             www.op5.se
Tel: +46 8-230225                  Fax: +46 8-230231

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