Re: PLEASE HELP!

[Ian Lance Taylor <ian at airs dot com>]

R Lokesh babu <rlokesh_babu@yahoo.com> writes:

> My application (COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE) links to
> libstdc++, By default Solaris OS
> does not install the libstdc++ package
> (libgcc-3.3-sol9-sparc-local.gz).
> Can I re-distribute the lib-gcc package and install it
> along with my application
> installation. (Is it a violation of GPL?) :)
> Or should my Installation validate and ask the user to
> install lib-gcc himself 
> and re-run the installation.? :(

There is plenty of COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE which is distributed under the
GPL.  I assume that you mean that your application is proprietary, in
that you are distributing a binary without distributing the source
code.

First, I'll note that libstdc++-v3 is under a GPL+exception license.
Building objects using libstdc++-v3 header files, and linking them
into an executable with the libstdc++-v3 library, does not by itself
cause the binary to be covered by the GPL.

Now, to answer your question, you may distribute libstdc++-v3 itself.
However, that distribution is covered by the GPL, and if you
distribute it in binary form, you must also distribute the source
code, or otherwise make it available as described in the GPL.

Finally, I'll note that while I believe that the above is correct,
relying on mailing lists for legal advice is foolish.

Ian