Re: About GPL and proprietary software

From: Ron Johnson <ron(dot)l(dot)johnson(at)cox(dot)net>
To: PgSQL General ML <pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org>
Subject: Re: About GPL and proprietary software
Date: 2003-08-31 20:34:18
Message-ID: 1062362058.7342.51.camel@haggis
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On Sun, 2003-08-31 at 14:57, Michael Meskes wrote:
> On Sun, Aug 31, 2003 at 02:26:14PM -0500, Ron Johnson wrote:
> > IANAL, but according to my understanding
> > (1) proprietary s/w that dynamically links to "GPL" shared libraries
> > has not broken the GPL.
>
> Sure? My understanding is that it does break GPL. That's why there's an
> LGPL.

Well, there's this:
http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LinkingWithGPL
and this:
http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LinkingOverControlledInterface
http://lists.gnupg.org/pipermail/gnupg-devel/2000-April/010043.html

Linus thinks that dynamic linking is ok, RMS doesn't, but gives
an example boilerplate that says how dynamic linking can be ok
w/ the GPL. It's definitely a grey area.

--
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Ron Johnson, Jr. ron(dot)l(dot)johnson(at)cox(dot)net
Jefferson, LA USA

"Millions of Chinese speak Chinese, and it's not hereditary..."
Dr. Dean Edell

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