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From: rms@AI.MIT.EDU
Newsgroups: gnu.gcc
Subject: If the user does the link
Message-ID: <8906071734.AA00295@sugar-bombs.ai.mit.edu>
Date: 7 Jun 89 17:34:04 GMT
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    Ok, now I have a question.  What would be the attitude toward a developer
    who distributes .o files containing proprietary code, source to the GNU
    libraries in question, and leaves the end user to compile and link them
    together on his own?

If these libraries are standard, then it would be hard to argue that
the developer is doing anything which intrinsically relates to the GNU
libraries in question.  He might not even know whether users choose to
link with GNU libraries or other libraries.  So this must be
permitted.

If the libraries involved were customized out of GNU software by the
developer for this one application, then there would be an argument
that they really are parts of one large program.

My lawyer says it isn't clear what the law says about this.  Since
aiding hoarders is not my aim, I don't see a point in conceding this
particular issue in advance.