I want to write a program that is for sale without releasing all of the source code. Some of it is fine but parts are proprietary. Does it matter if I dynamically link the rtlsdr library?
-Richard On Mon, Apr 15, 2019, 8:45 PM Greg Troxel <[email protected]> wrote: > Richard Frye <[email protected]> writes: > > > If I write software that uses the rtlsdr library that is already > installed > > on the computer, does my software also have to be opensource? > > IANAL, TINLA. > > rtl-sdr and osmo-sdr both appear to be GNU GPLv2. > > The standard interpretation is that if you create a derived work by > writing a program that uses those libraries, then distributing that > derived work requires permission from the copyright holders of the used > libraries. And, that permission is only available if you license your > work under the same license, GPLv2. That is the point of the license. > > If you want to write software and not distribute it at all, that's > another matter, and the standard interpetation is that this is ok. > > What are you trying to write, and what are you thinking about for > licensing, other than GPLv2? > >
