From: Sander Jansen <sander@...>
Date: 2004-08-06T06:28:25+09:00
Subject: Re: Amazing GUI toolkit with visual designer & Ruby Integration

> I'm not a lawyer so this post is just an opinion from an unqualified
> stranger.
>
> GPL and LGPL is very dangerous to closed-source commercial projects
> unless you fully understand the license and know exactly what you are
> doing.
>
> Regarding Fox-Toolkit, look at the bottom of their license page and read
> the explanation the Fox-Toolkit LGPL Addendum:
>
>    http://www.fox-toolkit.org/license.html
>
>    "Static linking with a modified copy of the Library, however, would
> deny the community the benefit of these modifications, as these
> modifications would now be locked up inside a closed binary executable,
> so therefore we must insist on the original GNU Lesser General Public
> License when the Library has been modified."
>
> *TRANSLATION:* if you modify Fox-Toolkit and statically link it to your
> multi-million dollar commercial application, then you must release not
> only the changes to Fox-Toolkit but your commercial application too in
> order to comply with the terms of the license!
>
> Now for comparison, look at the FLTK exceptions to their LGPL license:
>
>    http://www.fltk.org/COPYING.php
>
> If anyone tells you that GPL and LGPL

(correct me if I'm wrong)

So whats the difference? You still have to follow the LGPL:

(FLTK license)
 If you link the application or widget to a modified version of FLTK, then the 
changes to FLTK must be provided under the terms of the LGPL in sections 1, 
2, and 4.

Which means: 

 if you modify FLTK and statically link it to your
 multi-million dollar commercial application, then you must release not
 only the changes to Fox-Toolkit but your commercial application too in
 order to comply with the terms of the license!

	Sander
 






-- 
"Nervous hands grip tight the knife
In the darkness, till the cake is cut"
	- Peter Gabriel