Patrick Elliott wrote:
>
> Well, its not "quite" the same. ActiveX has advantages that static 
> methods don't.

Well - since you don't give any concrete example here this is difficult 
to comment on.  Note however that apart from license issues any such 
non-portable approach would be

> [...]
> 
> The reason this is a licensing issue is that it technically allows you 
> to provide an partially disabled version, 

No, see 2.2-f of the source license:

"If that directive is not present, the Modified Version must work in the 
same way as the Licensed Version."

Any unofficial version should by default work exactly like the official one.

Now what you described is just an extension of the quality switch in 
POV-Ray.  Nothing prevents you from implementing this *inside POV-Ray* 
(if it is turned off by default).  You can also pre-process a scene with 
a separate program to disable certain parts.   But having an external 
hook to switch POV-Ray into an incompatible, crippled mode would violate 
the above part of the license as well as section 1.6:

"[...] Modification to these APIs or other officially supported 
communication mechanisms (or the addition of any new code or feature) 
for the purpose of avoidance (or to assist others to avoid) the intent 
of this or any other POV license is expressly prohibited."

Once central purpose of the POV-Ray source license is to avoid 
modifications of POV-Ray to impose limits to the users concerning their 
use of POV-Ray.

Christoph

-- 
POV-Ray tutorials, include files, Landscape of the week:
http://www.imagico.de/ (Last updated 15 Oct. 2006)
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