OpenOffice.org (LGPL) and hspell (GPL)
[ -legal: please let the CCs intact and CC: me, I am not subscribed ]
Hi,
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=255451 contains a wish to
include hspell support (upstream issue
http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=25832) into our
OpenOffice.org packages and I want to do this starting with the upcoming
1.1.3 packages.
The problem is that OpenOffice.org is LGPL/SISSL and hspell pure GPL so it
could not be included in OpenOffice.orgs source and linking (in this case
statically) against it is also not really ok...
Well, how to build it then?
Two possibilities:
1) we try to build this package from the hspell package. While this is
probably the best solution this is the hardest ione since even when we get a
openoffice.org-dev in 1.1.3, this stuff uses many private headers and
libraries and so could not be easily built from hspell. Moreover, the
buildsystem of this addon has to be fully reworked since it currently bases
on 2)
2) build OOo, patch hspell in and built it against the built OpenOffice.org.
This is the method the author of the add-on chooses and we could do this with
some debian/rules magic too. However, this would mean a binary package of OOo
would link with a GPLed lib (hspell). Is this allowed? Can I do that? Do I
need to create an openoffice.org-hspell package or can I integrate this into
the "main" ones?
I hope I am clear..
Opinions? Suggestions?
Can I do this or do I have to tag this bug wontfix since we cannot do it
legally either way since this would be linking of a LGPLed app with a GPLed
lib?
Regards,
René
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