taking code into a GPL'd project?

[forthy]

Hi authors of the LeJOS NXT system,

I'd like to thank you for writing this code. I'm working on another project on the NXT brick: porting Gforth (GNU Forth) to it, and I like to reuse the platform specific code. As far as I understand the MPL, this is possible (you can combine MPL code in a "larger work" supposed you are going to fulfill the promises of the Mozilla Public License - this is rather trivial being done together with a GPL program, where you need to make all sources available, anyway). I'm not 100% sure if the reverse is true (i.e. the GPL allows mixing in MPL code), but if there's an exception necessary with the Gforth code, it's my problem (and I can deal with it as lead developer of Gforth).

I just want to ask back if that's ok with you. I'll add headers to all files that come from the LeJOS project, indicating the license situation. The code will show up in Gforth's CVS repository, but probably not as part of the official GNU distribution (i.e. the NXT Gforth will be a fork), since the FSF requires contributors to sign copyright transfers (you still retain all your rights) and to put their work under GPL or LGPL.

And if I find bugs or things to improve, I'll keep you informed.

[bbagnall]

I'm not well versed on open source licenses like some people, but from what I understand you don't even have to ask to use this code in your own project. I think according to the license you can just take the code and go crazy with it, though you probably have to indicate somewhere where the original code came from.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.