RE: cygwin license with windows apps?

[Elfyn McBratney <elfyn at is dot ubertales dot co dot uk>]

On Fri, 20 Jun 2003, Cary Lewis wrote:

> Some more questions:
>
> Why is it that linking to the cygwin.dll makes a program covered by GPL?

Because the GPL is what's known as a "viral" license, infecting anything that
makes use if it.

> On Linux systems, does linking to the open source 'C' libraries, etc. cause
> a program to be covered by the GPL?

No, because (in the case of glibc) the GNU C Library is LGPL not GPL.

*long explanation deleted*

> If that were true, then wouldn't every program be GPL? Then you couldn't
> have any Programs that didn't require publishing of source code? But there
> are many, many commercial programs for Linux that don't publish their code.
>
> For what it's worth, I would like to very much like to continue using
> Cygwin, I think that there is a lot of power in it. I simply want to do the
> right thing in terms of the licensing and additionally respect the
> constraints that I have in terms of other stake holders and whether I can
> publish my source.
>
> I have trouble believing that there are systems out there that use cygwin in
> a commercial fashion that have not purchased the breakout license.

Elfyn

-- 
Elfyn McBratney
Systems Administrator
ABCtales.com / Ubertales.co.uk

Show us yer bulk: biteme@is.ubertales.co.uk


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