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<h3 class="section">2.2 Since the MEX interface allows plugins to be distributed under terms that are incompatible with the GPL, does this mean that you are encouraging people to to write non-free software for Octave?</h3>
<p>No. The original reason for implementing the MEX interface for Octave
was to allow Octave to run free software that uses MEX files (the
particular goal was to run SundialsTB in Octave). The intent was to
liberate that software from <span class="sc">Matlab</span> and increase the amount of free
software available to Octave users, not to enable people to write
proprietary code for Octave. For the good of the community, we strongly
encourage users of Octave to release the code they write for Octave
under terms that are compatible with the GPL.
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