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Subject: Re: Help! Need B.20.1 src
From: John Mellor <john AT mellor DOT dyndns DOT org>
To: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
In-Reply-To: <20050123012249.GN32005@trixie.casa.cgf.cx>
References: <1106432621 DOT 23759 DOT 6 DOT camel AT mellor DOT kw DOT net> <20050122234445 DOT GI32005 AT trixie DOT casa DOT cgf DOT cx> <1106442000 DOT 24143 DOT 20 DOT camel AT mellor DOT kw DOT net> <41F2FB38 DOT BD37B3FB AT dessent DOT net> <20050123012249 DOT GN32005 AT trixie DOT casa DOT cgf DOT cx>
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Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2005 09:28:45 -0500
Message-Id: <1106490525.32550.9.camel@mellor.kw.net>
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On Sat, 2005-22-01 at 20:22 -0500, Christopher Faylor wrote:
> On Sat, Jan 22, 2005 at 05:17:44PM -0800, Brian Dessent wrote:
> >John Mellor wrote:
> >>Correct me if I'm mistaken, but if I'm going to make a few dollars off
> >>of a non-free something that links in an open source library, I need to
> >>provide the source for the open-source parts with the product, or fall
> >>afoul of the LGPL.  So, to make everybody happy, I believe that all I
> >>need to add, is to provide the source for cygwin1.dll to the Customer.
> >
> >I don't know if the ancient Bxx series was LGPL, but the current Cygwin
> >source is GPL which means you must provide not only the Cygwin DLL
> >source but also all the source of your app that links to it.
> >
> >There is a mailing list to discuss this: cygwin-licensing at cygwin dot
> >com.
> 
> I think that cygwin has been GPL since early 1997.
> 
> So, you're right.  I can't believe I missed this.  Anything that uses the
> Cygwin DLL is GPLed.

In fact, I cannot ship the source for the app if I wanted to, as that
would then publish some of the Customer's proprietary trade secrets.
However, if I read the specific version of the GPL that is being used
for cygwin correctly, then it says:

> In accordance with section 10 of the GPL, Red Hat permits programs
> whose sources are distributed under a license that complies with the
> Open Source definition to be linked with libcygwin.a/cygwin1.dll
> without libcygwin.a/cygwin1.dll itself causing the resulting program
> to be covered by the GNU GPL.
> 
> This means that you can port an Open Source(tm) application to cygwin,
> and distribute that executable as if it didn't include a copy of
> libcygwin.a/cygwin1.dll linked into it. Note that this does not apply
> to the cygwin DLL itself. If you distribute a (possibly modified)
> version of the DLL you must adhere to the terms of the GPL, i.e. you
> must provide sources for the cygwin DLL.

I believe that my app meets this criteria, and this then prevents me
from being between a rock and a hard place    ;^)



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