Path: utzoo!telly!ddsw1!lll-winken!killer!mit-eddie!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!xanth!uunet!plus5!wupost!wucfua!jlc
From: jlc@wucfua.wustl.edu (Roving UIUC CS Grad Student)
Newsgroups: gnu.gcc
Subject: Re: More confusion on GNU copying conditions
Message-ID: <382@wucfua.wustl.edu>
Date: 4 Dec 88 17:43:10 GMT
References: <19489@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> <8812032112.AA00778@sugar-bombs.ai.mit.edu>
Reply-To: jlc@wucfua.UUCP (Roving UIUC CS Grad Student)
Organization: Great Cthulu's Starry Wisdom Band
Lines: 41

In article <8812032112.AA00778@sugar-bombs.ai.mit.edu> rms@WHEATIES.AI.MIT.EDU (Richard Stallman) writes:
>    [Scenario of distibuting GCC-compiled object and GCC distribution and
>     requiring customer linking]
>    Would selling this violate the Copyright {left?}?
>
>This question seems to presuppose an inaccurate view of the facts of
>how our software is distributed and labeled, so it is not clear what
>question was intended.
>
>If "All the GCC libraries (the full current GCC distribution)" is
>taken literally, it refers GNULIB, the sole library in the GCC
>distribution.  As I have explained several times, GNULIB is a special
>case because its functions are so small that I doubt copyright applies
>to them.  If so, the answer is No.

So, let me state this once and for all (I hope :-) ). IF I get the full GCC
distribution (and no other GNU software) AND I compile and link my program
with it (arbitrary C program using no source from GNU software) THEN I can
sell the resulting executable? Without providing source? GCC is, then,
including NOTHING copylefted in the resulting objects?

Sorry if I seem to be belaboring the point. It's just that this isn't the
view I got from earlier debate...

>It is more likely that the questioner intends to refer to all the
>other GNU libraries, which are not part of the GCC distribution.  If
>so, the answer is Yes.  Because that executable contains GNU code
>(parts of the GNU libraries), it cannot be distributed unless all of
>its source code is available as free software.  Nothing less will do.

Which "other GNU libraries" do you mean? LIBG++? Or are there some other
ones I'm forgetting at the moment? A canonical list of what's a "protected"
GNU library (obviously GNULIB isn't) would help quite a bit to end this
discussion.

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| John L. Coolidge   Internet:jlc@wucfua.wustl.edu    UUCP:jlc@wucfua.uucp |
| "My other account is in Illinois"        I just read news here...        |
| With the exception of included material: All above opinions are mine.    |
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