It's an interesting question whether compilation with a GPL'd program causes the output to be GPLd. I don't see an FAQ entry on the FSF page for that, so I'd propose to take the discussion to debian-legal, if necessary.
Let me clarify.
It's not compilation using a GPL program that I am talking about. (I am *not* saying that all GCC compiled programs should be GPL compatible!)
I am just saying that a GPL incompatible debian package that depends on another GPL program looks quite suspicious to me.
I think that, under copyright law, a debian package is a derivative work of the upstream program. Think of it this way: the GPL applies to the source of a program. Now, the GPL's own definition of source code is:
... For an executable work, complete source code means all the source code for all modules it contains, plus any associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to control compilation and installation of the executable.
Note the "plus the scripts used to control compilation and installation of the executable". Under this definition, it looks to me that a debian package is effectively a derivative work that offers "better" compilation and installation scripts. Now, if this derivative work can only be built or installed when another GPL package is installed, because of "library dependencies" (I am not talking about using a GPL program for compiling), then I think it *is* a dependency.
In fact, if it was not for an *explicit* exception in the text of the GPL, the compiler would have to be included as a potential GPL dependency of the derivative work. I cite the GPL again:
However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component itself accompanies the executable.
Have fun!
Etienne
-- Etienne M. Gagnon, Ph.D. http://www.info.uqam.ca/~egagnon/ SableVM: http://www.sablevm.org/ SableCC: http://www.sablecc.org/
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