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Re: libstdc++ licensing question
On Tue, Jul 23, 2002 at 10:53:01AM -0700, dank@kegel.com wrote:
> Michael Fimin wrote:
> > Hi, I have a question regarding GCC standard C++ library licensing.
> >
> > I going to use libstdc++ in my comercial project.
> > My program will not be covered by GPL license (the source code won't be
> > provided) and I'm going to distribute libstdc++.so (Solaris version)
> > with my program. Is this legal?
>
> Yes, it's legal.
> See http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/libstdc++/17_intro/license.html
Wrong. He's not just talking about distributing a program linked
against somebody else's copy of the library, he's talking about
distributing the library itself.
Practically speaking, the requirement is that a user of his program
has to be equipped to compile a replacement libstdc++ that will link
and run with his program.
(Unfortunately there is a loophole in the license: if he uses an
altered compiler to build his program and the library, a user may
not be equipped to generate a compatible library image. I wonder
what can be done to close that loophole.)
Nathan Myers
ncm at cantrip dot org