On Tue, 12 Oct 1999 10:29:00 +0200, Case wrote:

>- Are there any restrictions for original source code ? 
>  (Of course, JPovRay will be free as PovRay)

I don't see any explicit restrictions on rewriting the whole thing in
another language, but if I were you I'd ask the Team coordinator for
explicit permission before embarking on such a huge task.  I would 
hazard a guess that while it's not explicitly prohibited, it isn't 
within the spirit of the license.  See disclaimer below.

>- Can JPovRay be little differend from PovRay ?
>  (Basic will cover PovRay, but extension like new features no    found
>in PovRay,plugins,extendend modularity,etc.)

From povlegal.doc:

  POV-Ray may not be linked into other software either at compile-
  time using an object code linker nor at run-time as a DLL,
  ActiveX, or other system. Such linkage can tend to blur the end-
  user's perception of which program provides which functions and
  thus qualifies as an attempt to obscure what is running.

  To allow POV-Ray to communicate with outside programs, the official
  versions of POV-Ray include several internal communication "hooks" 
  for it to call other tasks, often called an Application Programming 
  Interface, or API. For example: the generic part of POV-Ray provides
  operating system shell-out API commands. The Windows version has a 
  GUI-extension API and the ability to replace the text editor.
  Modification to these APIs or other officially supported
  communication mechanisms to increase functionality beyond that of 
  the official version IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED.

This would seem to limit what you can do with plugins or modularity.

>- Is there any web URL for PovRay programmers ? (where is bugfixes,
>  new ideas,etc)

There are some groups on this server you'll probably find interesting -
povray.programming and povray.unofficial.patches are two such.  You 
also might enjoy reading povray.bugreports.

Disclaimer: Yes, I'm a member of the POV-Team.  No, I'm not making an
official statement for them.  This post, with the exception of the 
direct quote from povlegal.doc, consists entirely of my own opinions.

Post a reply to this message