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Re: GPL question


From: mike3
Subject: Re: GPL question
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 15:15:44 -0700
User-agent: G2/1.0

On Oct 11, 2:57 pm, "Alfred M. Szmidt" <a...@gnu.org> wrote:
>    > > (1) Can I dynamically link my application with free libraries
>    > > already present on the target system, even if they're GPL'ed?
>    > > (specifically, libbfd, part of binutils, I believe; and gdbm)
>    >
>    > Not without first consulting a good copyright lawyer experienced in Free
>    > Software law.  The FSF says that what you propose to do would infringe
>    > their copyrights.  Perhaps you could be a teat case.
>
>    I am mighty confused now. Are you saying that what I'm planning to
>    do is not possible?
>
> Correct, you cannot link non-free software with a GPL library.
>
>    If not, why?
>
> The end result contains code from a GPL program, and the GPL states
> that the whole work has to be licensed under the same terms.
>
> From the GNU GPL FAQ:
>
> | I'd like to incorporate GPL-covered software in my proprietary
> | system. Can I do this?
>
> |     You cannot incorporate GPL-covered software in a proprietary
> |     system. The goal of the GPL is to grant everyone the freedom to
> |     copy, redistribute, understand, and modify a program. If you
> |     could incorporate GPL-covered software into a non-free system,
> |     it would have the effect of making the GPL-covered software
> |     non-free too.

May I jump in here for a moment? I've never really been able to
understand this exactly. Why wasn't the license made so that it
would only require you release the _GPL-covered parts_ under
GPL and distribute them in such a way that they remain free --
why does it take releasing the original parts of the package TOO
in order to keep the GPL stuff free?





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