AS>> > ==quote==
AS>> > Richard Stallman wrote:
AS>> >
AS>> > That you don't distribute binaries does not change the fact that your
AS>> > source code is designed to include Readline in the program. You
AS>> > cannot do that, now that your license is incompatible with the GPL.
AS>> > ==end quote==
AS>> >
AS>> > It is that simple.
AS>>
AS>> It is quite OK to interoperate with GPLed code if you do not make it a
AS>> part of your program. For example: MySQL in their pre-GPL days had
Did you read the quote? It says "your code is designed to include [i.e.,
link with] Readline, [thus] you cannot do that". Note that nobody
_distributes_ compiled/linked version, so GPL doesn't even apply here,
unless RMS is going to follow RIAA and apply copyright terms on my private
usage of the legally obtained code.
AS>> "mysqlclient" which included readline and communicated with "mysqld"
AS>> through a socket. I don't remember if mysqlclient was GPLed, but if it
AS>> were, the MySQL authors would have been perfectly within their rights.
All MySQL is GPL now. Until it was, I guess either mysql client was
illegal, just RMS didn't know or didn't care about it, or MySQL client was
GPLed. There's no program in MySQL that relies on mysql client, so there's
no problem.
AS>> Read the quote: if the program is actually including readline
AS>> (statically or dynamically) then readline becomes a part of it. We are
Yes. But nobody is going to distribute it (compiled binary), so GPL
doesn't apply here. What RMS is saying that even distributing _source_
(that doesn't include a line of GPLed code) that _can_ be linked to GPL,
is illegal - though you don't have even a point here where you could apply
GPL. That's why I say that GPL is what RMS means it is and it's not
actually so "free" as many people think.
AS>> not talking about interoperability alone anymore, we are talking about
AS>> actual inclusion of binary code.
When I last checked, copyright was dealing with _distribution_ (that's why
"copy"), not _execution_. And RMS is prohibiting (or, rather, trying to
prohibit, but given the power he holds it's almost the same - there's not
many organisations that can afford being at war with FSF now)
_distribution of source_, which doesn't have a line of GPLed code. I
understand why he does this - because otherwise GPL and LGPL would be the
same for libraries, and he's actively against it - but the fact that RMS
doesn't like it shouldn't automatically make it illegal.
AS>> I do think a program's libraries should be considered part of the
AS>> program. Or else, if someone wanted to turn GIMP into a proprietary
You mean, if you source has possibility to link it to GPLed library, it
has to be GPL? In other words, if you allow possibility to attach some
GPLed code in some way to your system, all your system should be GPL?
Let's say we are talking Java and not C - you don't have any includes, you
can directly call GPLed library in runtime without ever mentioning it in
the source. By this point of view, any program that allows user to do this
(call GPLed library in run-time) and isn't GPLed is illegal. Which pretty
much makes all Java code illegal, since you can just pass text string
obtained from the user to class loader and say "load class with this
name".
Now that can be extended, for example, to make any GPL software on
Windows illegal - since Windows can take advantage of GPLed code, and
obviously Windows isn't GPL, so it's illegal by RMS's point of
view. That only depends on what you call the library and what - the
executable, and that's just technicality - you can call Windows being
executale and running program being library - actually, some systems do
work this way. See my point here?
AS>> Everyone has their own definitions.
Yeah, MSIE is "free" too - look on the Microsoft site.
--
[EMAIL PROTECTED] \/ There shall be counsels taken
Stanislav Malyshev /\ Stronger than Morgul-spells
phone +972-3-9316425 /\ JRRT LotR.
http://sharat.co.il/frodo/ whois:!SM8333
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