Subject: Re: coolview+less: search dying
From: [email-masked] (Charles Curley)

24 Sep 1997 17:08:35 -0700
Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
References: <[email-masked]>
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To: "Hilton Fernandes" <[email-masked]>
Cc: Alex <[email-masked]>, gnu-win32<[email-masked]>,
        [email-masked], Hilton Fernandes <[email-masked]>

To start with, I am not an attorney and do not give legal advice.

The comments I will make are based on GLP Version 2, June 1991, which is
the verion I have on my web site and include with <BodyShop>, a program
which I distribute under that version of the GPL.

At 05:08 24/9/97 +0000, Hilton Fernandes wrote:
>On 22 Sep 97 at 22:08, Alex <[email-masked]> wrote:
>
>
>> There's always the Berkely copyrighted regex stuff.  Could someone however
>> explain to me in layman's terms what the difference is between GPL and
>> LGPL?
>
>Hi!
>
>Good question! This is exactly my main doubt about the GNU project.
>And certainly a doubt of many other programmers.
>
>I'd like to ask people that can understand legalese, if any of the
>next statements is correct:
>
>- under GPL you can use a software, but not include it in your
>  distribution.  If you do, you actually put your software under GPL
>  terms and must offer its source code, as well as make it available
>  to Internet download.

There is nothing in the GPL that says how you have to distribute your
software or anyone else's, including on or not on the Inet. If you
distribute a program under the GPL, you do either have to include the
source or tell the user how to get it. The source must be availalable by
any method customarily used to distribute software.

You may distribute your software any way you wish. If you distribute other
software which is licensed under the GPL, that does not affect your
software, and the GPL says so explicitly.

"In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program
with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a volume of a
storage or distribution medium does not bring the other work under the
scope of this License."

>
>  For instance, you can compile your software with gcc, but cannot
>  include it in your distribution.  Otherwise, your software will
>  be GPLed.

Nope. You may include GCC with your distribution. That is what Cygnus and
various distributors of Linux do. I know of an HP product which is compiled
with GCC, so you can bet your hard drive that HP's lawyers don't see it
that way.

>
>- under LGPL (_L_ibrary GPL?), you can include a LGPL software in
>  your distribution.  However, if you change -- or enhance -- it,
>  your distribution will be under LGPL too.

I don't have the LGPL in front of me, but I don't think that's correct. I
think it requires that if you do modify a library, then your changes to the
library are covered by the LGPL. I don't know how that affects your
Program, though I doubt you have to distribute your program under GPL.

>
>  For instance, if your software use GNU's libc, there's no problem.
>  However, if you correct some bug it may have, your software will
>  be under LGPL too.
>
>This certainly isn't totally correct, but i'd like to know how far
>from it.

I hope that helps.

		-- C^2

Looking for fine software and/or web pages?
http://web.idirect.com/~ccurley
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