From: Ingo Schwarze <schwarze@usta.de>
Subject: Re: [PATCH]: Add POSIX O_CLOFORK flag
To: Florian Obser <florian@openbsd.org>
Cc: tech@openbsd.org
Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2025 16:07:37 +0200

Hello Florian,

Florian Obser wrote on Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 03:59:23PM +0200:

> I have no opinion, but I was curious what CDDL is about.
> I spotted two typos while reading.

Both fixed in my tree, thanks.
Updated version appended such that nobody needs to piece together patches.
  Ingo


Index: policy.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/www/policy.html,v
diff -u -r1.45 policy.html
--- policy.html	25 Jul 2021 22:55:35 -0000	1.45
+++ policy.html	22 Jun 2025 14:04:57 -0000
@@ -334,6 +334,38 @@
 tools is a long-term desideratum.
 <p>
 
+<dt>CDDL (Common Development and Distribution License
+by Sun Microsystems)<dd><p>
+This is a copyleft license, see paragraph 3.1 of the license terms,
+so what was said above about the GPL applies.
+
+<p>
+While paragraph 3.6 of the license terms allows combination
+of CDDL-licensed code with code that is under other licenses,
+which makes it less hostile towards cooperative development
+than the GPL, that permission is not sufficient for making CDDL-licensed
+code suitable for inclusion into OpenBSD.  Due to its copyleft nature,
+OpenBSD considers CDDL a non-free license.
+
+<p>
+There is a second reason why OpenBSD considers CDDL-licensed code
+unacceptable for inclusion.  It is not a pure Copyright license.
+Instead, paragraphs 2.1 and 2.2 taint it with aspects of patent
+and contract law, paragraph 6.2 states that license rights
+terminate for users who get into patent litigation with contributors
+over the software, and paragraph 6.1 states that license rights
+terminate for users violating license conditions, all of which makes
+the code not fully free.  On top of that, paragraphs 9 and 10 place
+additional, onerous contractual obligations on users and contributors.
+
+<p>
+While nobody is allowed to violate OpenBSD licensing terms, even people
+who violate the terms retain the right to use and redistribute OpenBSD
+in accordance with the terms.  That this right cannot be taken away
+from anyone for any reason is necessary for software to be truly free.
+CDDL-licensed code is not free in that sense.
+<p>
+
 <dt>NetBSD<dd><p>
 Much of OpenBSD is originally based on and evolved from NetBSD, since some
 of the OpenBSD developers were involved in the NetBSD project.  The general