I find myself quoting the GPL a lot lately (see
http://www.gnu.org./copyleft/gpl.html)
"However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not
include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary
form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the
operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component
itself accompanies the executable."
So this is why the Solaris/C libraries are not required to be
GPL. Also, there's the point that you don't distribute the Solaris/C
libraries with your "Hello World" - see the passage I quoted to Marc.
I've heard people argue that the java.* and possibly javax.*
packages should be considered to be components of the "Java OS" which I
find to be reasonable, though the "javax" packages at least are arguable.
There would be no need for an LGPL if you could freely link to GPL
code in a non-GPL program or vice versa.
Aaron
On Sat, 21 Oct 2000, Ole Husgaard wrote:
> I've seen this a few times lately, but it is a misunderstanding of
> what the GPL license says.
> Consider a simple GPLed "Hello, world.." program in C. If compiled
> on Solaris it will link to the Solaris system libraries.
> Would that make the Solaris system libraries GPL? I think not.
> If the Solaris system libraries would have to be under GPL it
> would be because the Solaris system libraries are derived from
> the "Hello, world.." program. But that is _not_ the case.
>
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Ole Husgaard
>
