Hello, I want to use a function from another package (which is GPL>=3), about 20 lines of code, in my own package. I somewhat hesitate to depend on the entire package just for this single function, but of course I want to credit the original authors. What would be the best way to do that? Where should I put that credit? Or should I proceed completely different? Best, Felix
Snippets from other packages/ License
4 messages · Brian G. Peterson, Hadley Wickham, Felix Schönbrodt
On 03/14/2013 03:34 AM, Felix Sch?nbrodt wrote:
I want to use a function from another package (which is GPL>=3), about 20 lines of code, in my own package. I somewhat hesitate to depend on the entire package just for this single function, but of course I want to credit the original authors. What would be the best way to do that? Where should I put that credit? Or should I proceed completely different?
You could use 'Imports' if you will always use that code for your package. You could use 'Suggests' with appropriate tests to see if it is available if you only need it occasionally, or for only one function. If you wish to fork the original code and include the code directly in your package, then your package will also need to be GPL>=3, you will need to list the authors of that code as Contributors in your DESCRIPTION file, and I would strongly recommend that you place this code in a separate .R file in your package, with a separate Copyright and License comment block in that separate file stating the origins and license for this code snippet. That should satisfy both the spirit and the letter of the GPL. Cheers, Brian
Brian G. Peterson http://braverock.com/brian/ Ph: 773-459-4973 IM: bgpbraverock
If you wish to fork the original code and include the code directly in your package, then your package will also need to be GPL>=3, you will need to list the authors of that code as Contributors in your DESCRIPTION file, and I would strongly recommend that you place this code in a separate .R file in your package, with a separate Copyright and License comment block in that separate file stating the origins and license for this code snippet.
Another option is to email the original author and ask if they'd be willing to license the code to you under whatever license your package currently uses. Hadley
Chief Scientist, RStudio http://had.co.nz/
Thanks Brian and Hadley, these all seem to be reasonable approaches! (For the current package I think I'll depend on the other one, but it's good to know how to proceed for future situations ?). Felix Am 14.03.2013 um 16:52 schrieb Hadley Wickham <h.wickham at gmail.com>:
If you wish to fork the original code and include the code directly in your package, then your package will also need to be GPL>=3, you will need to list the authors of that code as Contributors in your DESCRIPTION file, and I would strongly recommend that you place this code in a separate .R file in your package, with a separate Copyright and License comment block in that separate file stating the origins and license for this code snippet.
Another option is to email the original author and ask if they'd be willing to license the code to you under whatever license your package currently uses. Hadley -- Chief Scientist, RStudio http://had.co.nz/
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