On 10/16/15 11:07 AM, Ola Fosheim Grøstad wrote:
On Friday, 16 October 2015 at 12:53:09 UTC, Steven Schveighoffer wrote:
No, you cannot link against GPL library without making your code also
GPL. "Services" I don't think have anything to do with this, we are
talking about binary linking.
Yes, you can. GPL is a copyright license which says that if you legally
obtain a copy of an executable then you also have the right to the
source code and the right to make copies. If you don't hand out an
executable then there are no obligations at all, for obvious reasons.
You certainly can link with it, and then your code becomes GPL. you
don't have to distribute the binary, but it's still now GPL. The
question is, can you link a proprietary licensed piece of software
against GPL, while having the proprietary software retain its license,
and the answer is no.
If you want to say GPL is fine if you only want to provide your software
as a service, then that is not an answer to the question. Your software
is effectively GPL, but you don't have to distribute the source because
you didn't distribute the binary. However, you would have no recourse if
you mistakenly provided the binary to someone. Ever. This is a poison
pill risk that most companies will not swallow. Please give me a json
library that's 10% slower and won't ruin my entire business, thanks.
-Steve
