Hi,
After many years absence (10) I am looking into pursuing logic programming again and have been looking at many alternative languages/environments. CIAO looks very good. Of course, right now I am just studying, so there is no license problem.
But I was wondering whether you intend the system to eventually be usable to produce commercial product. That is, executables that include code or special modules you would release say, under the Gnu Public Library License. Most of the companies I have worked for in the valley use the GNU c/c++ compiler as the superior compiler, and the division between that which is absolutely free (and contaminates all it touches) and that part which can be combined into product is clearly what has allowed its success.
Your website says that ALL of the software provided is under the General License. That would imply that all the libraries are, and therefore anything built as an executable (which must of course include whatever your variant of WAM is, etc, and libraries) would be 'contaminated' and could not be a commercial product.
I have not downloaded yet, so perhaps you have clarified this in internal docs.
Please do not misunderstand me. I believe that everyone should be free to choose any form of contract and therefore if you wish to make certain that your system can only be used for non-commercial purposes, then I certainly respect that. I would just like some clarification if this is NOT so. Eventually I will be interested in including executables developed from logic and constraint language systems in commercial product.
Thank you
Mark J Brader
(personal e-mail address: braderm(a)acm.org) Mark J Brader Direct: (408) 342-2547 Luminous Networks Main: (408) 342-6400 10460 Bubb Road Fax: (408) 863-1148 Cupertino, CA 95014 mbrader(a)luminous.com