Re: Controversy over dynamic linking -- how to end the panic

Mike Harrold (mharrold@cas.org)
Thu, 21 Jun 2001 15:04:21 -0400 (EDT)


> To be honest, I disagree that #include'ing a GPL header file should force your
> app to be GPL as well. That may be how the license reads, but I think it's a
> very bad idea. I could write 1 million lines of original code, but if someone
> told me that but simply adding #include <stdio.h> my code is now a derivative of
> the stdio.h, I'd tell him to go screw himself.

Not to mention utterly unenforceable. Consider:

1) Oracle Corp. builds their database for Linux on a Linux system.
2) Said system comes with standard header files, which happen in this case to
be GPL'd header files.
3) Oracle Corp.'s database becomes GPL.

There's not a court in the civilised world that would uphold the GPL in that
scenario.

Regards,

/Mike
-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/