[gameprogrammer] Re: GPL Questions

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. 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 -----------------------------------------------.
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| MIDI, modular synthesis, real time effects, scripting,... |
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