[reportlab-users] TinyRML and like stuff

[Patrick Maupin]

On Sun, Dec 13, 2009 at 1:47 PM, Peter Mott <peter at monicol.co.uk> wrote:

> I've used the ReportLab toolkit from time to time and been very grateful for

> the authros making it available. I know (or think) that Reportlab sells a

> solution that turns XML into PDF via the toolkit. I know (or think) that

> TinyRML attempts to replicate this solution for free. I have always felt

> that TinyRML was unsporting and though no doubt legal violated the spirit of

> ReportLab's making the toolkit available. So I am minded not to use it.

>

> Am I being overscrupulous here? Does Reportlab deprecate the creation and

> distribution of programs that turn HTML into PDF using its toolkit?

>

> This has been bugging me on and off for a long time so I finally thought i

> would ask.#


I don't presume to speak for reportlab on this issue, but before I
released my pdfrw library a few weeks ago, I had the same question
about pagecatcher, because (even though I've never seen pagecatcher
and assume it's much more full-featured than my little library),
obviously pdfrw does some of what pagecatcher is advertised.  I found
this old email from Andy Robinson:

http://two.pairlist.net/pipermail/reportlab-users/2008-October/007436.html

He explained that he had no problem with others doing that
functionality, and might even include it in the reportlab distribution
if it were done well!

I think the reality is that the reportlab people are smart, ethical
guys, who realize that you don't compete by trying to make the world
stand still and holding others back.  Instead, you have to keep
creating.  I certainly hope the open-source reportlab software works
well enough as advertising to help keep the reportlab people busy
writing additional software for good money, because I love that they
keep improving the base reportlab.

But you have to decide for yourself where your morals are.  Should you
stop using Linux because Torvalds only used bitkeeper until he could
build git as a replacement?

Also, as an aside, I love the permissive licensing on the reportlab
toolkit.  Especially after the GPL forked such that V2-only isn't even
compatible with V3, it is refreshing to work with tools that don't
create any licensing problems no matter what other software you use
them with.

Best regards,
Patrick Maupin