The current accepted interpetation of GPL as it is relating to "linking" and stuff (AFAIK, and based largly on the Vidomi case, which was settled out side of court, to the displeasure of everyone invloved, and I do mean everyone) is very simple technical distinction : If your binary that links against GPLed code (be it dynamic or static "linking") does anything interesting and useful w/o using the GPLed code (in your example - reading and composing mail), then it is _not_ a derived work of the GPLed code. it will only be a derived work if all of the interesting and useful features of your product are dependant on the GPLed software being around - for example, if you would have written a graphical interface for the GNUFunnyQuotes that will allow people to graphicaly manage funny quotes using the GNUFunnyQuotes library.
Oded -- Maybe Computer Science should be in the College of Theology. -- R. S. Barton ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Oded Arbel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: "Herouth Maoz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Linux-IL Mailing List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2001 9:36 PM Subject: Re: making a non-GPLed module > OA>> Actually it is true. as for the glibc conundrum which has > > Or, more precisely, it is how RMS understands the GPL. Yes, he thinks to > link to GPLed binary makes the linking program "derived work". Even if > work is never distributed after the act of linkage, the spirit (as I > understood it) is that mere purpose of the program to link with GPLed > binary on the user machine makes it covered by GPL as a "derived work". > Example: if I had non-GPL mail client FooMail, that may use GPLed > GNUFunnyQuotes library to generate signatures, I cannot distribute the > code that makes use of GNUFunnyQuotes library (unless I accept > GPL-compatible license), even if I never touch the library itself, but > only instruct the user how to make the FooMail use the library. There > still some magic happening that makes the code "derived work" even before > it touches the GPL-ed code. That's what I understood from discussion I > witnessed with GPL-Powers-That-Be. Obviously, that doesn't say Linus or > any other particular person has the same understanding of GPL as the > participants of that discussion. > > -- > [EMAIL PROTECTED] \/ There shall be counsels taken > Stanislav Malyshev /\ Stronger than Morgul-spells > phone +972-3-9316425 /\ JRRT LotR. > whois:!SM8333 > > > ================================================================= To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
