Re: libfpx licensing
> On Fri, Jun 01, 2001 at 04:16:06PM -0600, Walter Landry wrote:
> > > I am working on a package for libfpx - the FlashPIX toolkit. I'm not sure
> > > about the license of the library though.
> > > Is it DFSG free?
>
> GPL code which states "May be linked with libfpx" is OK I suppose? I will
> probably write a viewer that uses this, and I'd like to use GPL anyway if
> possible (due to the incompatibility it would not be possible to extend an
> existing GPLed viewer).
That's fine. One phrasing I found at www.gnu.org is
As a special exception, you have permission to link this program
with the FOO library and distribute executables, as long as you
follow the requirements of the GNU GPL in regard to all of the
software in the executable aside from FOO.
It has been suggested by many that it would be good to have something
that says that you may, if you so choose, get rid of the exception.
The idea being that if someone makes a free replacement for the
library, or just incorporates the code into a completely different
program, it would be nice to get rid of the exception.
> This brings up something else: if I'm correct, I wouldn't have to mention the
> use of libfpx if I would use some license that is compatible; however, if I
> do use GPL and put the linking statement there, is that enough to have to
> comply to the 4th clause in the license?
In the context of Debian, you would probably only have to mention the
use of libfpx in the description of any program that uses it. That is
basically the description file. Annoying, but not the end of the
world.
Regards,
Walter Landry
landry@physics.utah.edu
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