From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,f6ad09be517b338c,start X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: "F. Britt Snodgrass" Subject: LGPL Requirements (was: Selecting Ada95 compiler for MSDOS realtime application) Date: 1996/11/07 Message-ID: <55rs5t$2a3@nw101.infi.net> X-Deja-AN: 195054455 to: britt@acm.org content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii organization: InfiNet mime-version: 1.0 newsgroups: comp.lang.ada x-mailer: Mozilla 1.22 (Windows; U; 16bit) Date: 1996-11-07T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Samuel Tardieu wrote: >>>>>> "Richard" == Richard Maffei writes: > >Richard> A non-GNAT solution is preferred to avoid any potential >Richard> restrictions/requirements associated with the commercial >Richard> release of software containing GNU libraries. > >Richard, > >I really cannot understand this sentence: the GNU licence does concern >you *only* if you want to redistribute a modified *compiler*, that is >if your project is to produce and give away (sell ?) an Ada compiler >(which I guess isn't, since you mention real-time) and choose to >modify GNAT, then you have to distribute the sources as well and >respect the licence. > >But if you use GNAT for development as a compiler, then it doesn't add >any restriction or requirement compared to other compilers! I think >you should take some time and read the General Public Licence which is >distributed with GNAT. > >I know of several companies that use GNAT for developping commercial >applications and sell these applications without any restriction. > > Sam, happy user of GNAT >-- > Samuel Tardieu -- sam@hacker.org Perhaps Richard's comment was made precisely because he has read the GNU Library General Public License (LGPL) that covers GNAT's libraries. The LGPL makes no distinction between compilers and any other type of executable program that has LGPL'd libraries linked in. I assume that the bodies of GNAT's standard Ada packages contain such library code. As I read it, the LGPL says I have to either (1) provide all my object code to my customers so that they may relink my program with a newer/modified version of the LGPL'd libraries or (2) explictly allow them to reverse engineer my program for the purpose of modifying it. The complete LGPL is in the copying.lib file distributed with GNAT or may be obtained from http://www.delorie.com/dl/prep/COPYING-LIB-2.0. For reference, I quote Section 6 here: LGPL> "6. As an exception to the Sections above, you may also compile or LGPL> link a "work that uses the Library" with the Library to produce a LGPL> work containing portions of the Library, and distribute that work LGPL> under terms of your choice, provided that the terms permit LGPL> modification of the work for the customer's own use and reverse LGPL> engineering for debugging such modifications. LGPL> LGPL> You must give prominent notice with each copy of the work that the LGPL> Library is used in it and that the Library and its use are covered by LGPL> this License. You must supply a copy of this License. If the work LGPL> during execution displays copyright notices, you must include the LGPL> copyright notice for the Library among them, as well as a reference LGPL> directing the user to the copy of this License. Also, you must do one LGPL> of these things: LGPL> LGPL> a) Accompany the work with the complete corresponding LGPL> machine-readable source code for the Library including whatever LGPL> changes were used in the work (which must be distributed under LGPL> Sections 1 and 2 aboveArticle Unavailable