Subject: Re: gnu-win32 licensing terms.
From: [email-masked] (Mikey)

23 Jul 1997 13:22:18 -0700
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Actually when using the .a files shipped with cygwin32, (except libcygwin.a)
you are linking against LGPL code, see .../cdk/winsup/sysdef/i386/*.def

On Tue, 22 Jul 1997 13:56:20 -0400 (EDT), you wrote:

>>| The Cygwin32 API library found in the winsup subdirectory of the
>>| source code is now also covered by the GNU GPL.  Since by default all
>>| executables link against this library, programs compiled by the beta
>>| 17 tools will also have to be free software distributed under the GPL
>>| with source code available to all.
>
>>Many people familiar with the issues did not agree with the last 
>>sentence there.  Under some people's interpretations of the GPL (not 
>>RMS though), if the code is dynamically linked - then the executable
>>programs don't have to be GPL'd.  It could be argued that cygwin32 is 
>>providing a standard "POSIX" interface - so they can't prevent people 
>>from dynamically linking against it.  Remember, Linux is GPL'd, but 
>>using proprietary applications with it is OK.
>
>I'm not aware of anybody who thinks that linking against a GPL dynamic
>library causes the program to come under the GPL.
>
>However, an NT DLL is not the same as a Unix dynamic library.  You
>don't link against the DLL.  Instead, you link against a library
>(automatically generated by dlltool) which contains calls to the DLL.
>Since that automatically generated library was put under the GPL, that
>required all programs that were linked against it to follow the GPL
>restrictions.
>
>Ian
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         Mikey
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