[gameprogrammer] Re: GPL Questions

On Wed, 2004-05-26 at 02:43, David Olofson wrote:
> On Wednesday 26 May 2004 01.49, Robbert de Groot wrote:
> > <IANAL>
> >
> > If I'm reading your message correctly, you're asking if a GPL
> > program can use non GPL library and what effect that has on the
> > library.
> >
> > I don't think the GPL covers this case really.
> 
> Right; the GPL is basically about the use of the code; not about what 
> the code is using. (Although you wish the distinction was that clear 
> and simple... *hehe*)
> 
> 
> > It's usually the
> > other way around when people ask.  My guess is that the program is
> > still GPL but people will scoff at it for not using ALL GPL code;
> > meaning the non GPL library.
> 
> People scoff at Linux s/w that uses closed source libs and stuff, but 
> that has nothing to do with the license of the s/w itself. In many 
> cases, that's a user and/or distro maintainer decision anyway. 
> (OpenGL drivers, for example.)
> 
> 
> > However the library can still be
> > under it's own license as long as it accounts for being linked in
> > with a GPL program.
> 
> Well, I suppose you could write a license that explicitly prohibits 
> linking with Free/Open Source code, but I've never seen one... (And 
> if there was any point in doing it, I bet companies like Microsoft 
> and Apple would have done it a long time ago. 

I believe there was a bit of a flap about that a while ago. A new
version of VC++ had a clause in the license the prevented people from
developing GPLed software use it. At least, that is what I remember.

                Bob Pendleton

> However, having GPL s/w 
> running on their OSes only helps their cause - and that goes for 
> pretty much anyone releasing a library under any license.)
> 
> 
> > I'm not sure if the program can be considered completely GPL in
> > this case. It's not usual.
> 
> On the contrary, any GPL application that runs on pretty much anything 
> but GNU/Linux is doing this, so I'd say it's pretty common. :-) (And 
> there are quite a few GPLed Win32-only apps these days, BTW.)
> 
> 
> > </IANAL>
> 
> 
> //David Olofson - Programmer, Composer, Open Source Advocate
> 
> .- Audiality -----------------------------------------------.
> |  Free/Open Source audio engine for games and multimedia.  |
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> 
> 
> 
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+--------------------------------------+
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