[H-GEN] GPL question
Paul Gearon
pag at pisoftware.com
Mon Jan 5 20:14:21 EST 2004
Hi all,
This is practically guaranteed to start a flame war, but I'll ask anyway...
I've had an interest in licences recently, so I've been looking
carefully at the GPL.
People have often told me that it is not possible to link non-GPL code
to a library which has been licensed with the GPL. Hence, many
libraries are licensed with the LGPL instead.
Reading paragraph 2, clause 0 of the GPL:
"Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not
covered by this License; they are outside its scope."
Now linking against a dynamic library involves reading it to determine
the offsets of each symbol, but that's it. It doesn't involve copying,
distribution or modification of the library. Sure, linking against a
*static* library involves copying a portion of the library into the
resulting binary, so I can see the problem there, but I can't see that
there's an issue with dynamic libraries.
Do others agree that this is the case? For the dissenters, what is your
rationale?
Thanks.
--
Regards,
Paul Gearon
Software Engineer Telephone: +61 7 3876 2188
Plugged In Software Fax: +61 7 3876 4899
http://www.PIsoftware.com PGP Key available via finger
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum
immane mittam.
(Translation from latin: "I have a catapult. Give me all the money,
or I will fling an enormous rock at your head.")
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