[DUG] Open source licences

[Steven Knight]

I think it says that I could distribute my propriatory software and include a set of GPL prerequisites provided I made it clear that they were separate. Possibly 2 separate installs. 

Provided you are calling to GPL software in a separate .dll you should be fine. 
Where you bind it into your .exe you are extending the GPL work and so it would need to be GPL'd.

Am I wrong?

Steven



This is copied part of the GPL:
==========================================================================================
These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program, and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those sections when you distribute them as separate works. But when you distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote it. 

Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest your rights to work written entirely by you; rather, the intent is to exercise the right to control the distribution of derivative or collective works based on the Program. 

In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a volume of a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other work under the scope of this License. 
=========================================================================================
>From How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs:
This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into proprietary programs. If your program is a subroutine library, you may consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary applications with the library. If this is what you want to do, use the GNU Lesser General Public License instead of this License.
=========================================================================================

delphi-bounces at ns3.123.co.nz wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Todd Martin" <toddm at kol.co.nz>
> To: "NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi List" <delphi at ns3.123.co.nz>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 11:43 AM
> Subject: [DUG] Open source licences
> 
> 
>> Well I've read through the GPL, Lesser GPL, and Mozilla licences and
>> I'm still a little confused. 
>> 
>> Am I correct in understanding I can develop and sell/lease a
>> commercial application which uses open source code (links to it),
>> without having to make my own code available, only in the case of
>> the LGPL and Mozilla licences?
> 
> Essentially, yes. Both GNU and Mozilla open-source licences allow the
> use of free software while preventing anyone from making the free
> software proprietary. You must give users a way to get the source
> code of the open-source software you use, and if you modify it, show
> which are your changes.
> Beyond that, there's a philosophical, political difference.
> Mozilla-licensed software can be used by anyone; GNU code can only be
> used as part of other open-source projects.
> The GNU "Lesser GPL" aka "Library GNU" is an expediency - large parts
> of linux are covered by this and if they were covered by the full GNU
> licence instead, commercial software authors would have to
> re-implement these functions inside their own programs.
> It seems to me that the GNU organisation believes all software should
> be free and their licence is a weapon through which they hope to
> achieve this. The bottom line is, as you say, that you can use
> Mozilla code in commercial programs, not GNU code (except LGPL'd
> code, in limited circumstances). 
> 
> Regards,
> Brian
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Delphi mailing list
> Delphi at ns3.123.co.nz
> http://ns3.123.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/delphi


**********************************************************************
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify
the system manager.

This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by
MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses.

www.ecan.govt.nz
**********************************************************************