Re: LGPL Requirements (was: Selecting Ada95 compiler for MSDOS realtime application)

["F. Britt Snodgrass" <ada95@fyiowa.infi.net>]

dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar) wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
>  All discussion of the LGPL is irrelevant to GNAT!
>
> [snip]
>--                                                                          --
>-- As a special exception,  if other files  instantiate  generics from this --
>-- unit, or you link  this unit with other files  to produce an executable, --
>-- this  unit  does not  by itself cause  the resulting  executable  to  be --
>-- covered  by the  GNU  General  Public  License.  This exception does not --
>-- however invalidate  any other reasons why  the executable file  might be --
>-- covered by the  GNU Public License.                                      --
>
>As you can see from this there are no additional requirements compared to
>using a non-free Ada compiler. You can build proprietary products, embedded
>gizmos, or classified software using GNAT with no problems whatsoever in
>this department.
>
>A lot of people have an interest in spreading FUD on this point, so let's
>try to keep things clear here. In particular, please READ the licenses that
>apply, not ones that don't!
>

Thank you and others who have corrected my misunderstanding
of GNAT's license.  I had assumed that since the file "copying.lib"
is distributed with GNAT, it's requirements must apply to GNAT's
libraries.  I did not think to look at the file headers because I
wasn't aware that "special exceptions" to the GPL were permitted.

I work for a large corporation which currently discourages the use 
of GNU software. The company lawyers have read the GPL and LGPL and 
are nervous that we might unknowingly incorporate GPL'd software 
into a product and then have customers requesting "our" software
under the terms of the GPL.

I am trying to get this no-GNU policy changed. I need to understand 
how GNAT's GPL license may or may not differ from that of plain gcc
or g77.  While I now understand that GNAT may be used to produce 
propriatary,for-profit executables, the last sentence of the special
exception warns me to do so very carefully.


Thanks,
F. Britt Snodgrass             (Team Ada, ada95@fyiowa.infi.net)