Re: Looking for a parser generator recommendation

Exits Funnel wrote:


> 4) The generated code and any support libraries must be explitly usable
> in commercial software. Unfortunately, our legal department has deemed
> even the Lesser GPL unacceptable. I guess that means I'm looking for
> either something commercial or something in the public domain.


If your product does not use the parser generator itself, only the
generated parser, then the license of the parser generator is
irrelevant. Only the license of the generated parser is relevant.


Last time I looked, even bison, which is (Greater?) GPL'ed, has no
licensing restrictions on the generated parser. This changed nearly 10
years ago; here is the comment from bison.simple:


/* <standard GPL copyright blurb> */
/* As a special exception, when this file is copied by Bison into a
        Bison output file, you may use that output file without restriction.
        This special exception was added by the Free Software Foundation
        in version 1.24 of Bison. */


It seems that nearly all parser generator authors who have thought about
the issue have a similar statement regarding their generated files. I
certainly recall some Java-based ones with similar statements.


Perhaps the legal department can be persuaded? Maybe the bean-counters
can help persuade the legal dept. :-)


Cheers,
Carl.

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