Re: Static library with Gtk 3

[rastersoft <raster rastersoft com>]

Hi:

El 30/11/17 a las 13:11, basile starynkevitch net escribió:
> Beware that releasing such a static library in binary form (without 
> its source code) is probably a violation of the LGPL license.
> Read carefully the LGPL2.1 license of GTK. 
> https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/lgpl-2.1.en.html
>
> Perhaps contact your lawyer and ask him to explain you that license.

To safely distribute a program with an statically compiled GTK3, you 
must do at least:

- Since GTK3 is LGPL, you must include the source code of the GTK3 
version you used
- Also include all the source code of every other LGPL library you used
- Finally you must include all the object files (.o) generated by your 
code and other non-free libraries

The first and second points are obvious: you are distributing GTK3 in 
your program, which is free software, so you must also include the 
source code of the LGPL part.

The third one is trickier. Since you must allow the user to link your 
software with newer or modified versions of the LGPL libraries, in a 
statically compiled system there is only one possibility: to include the 
object code files of everything non-LGPL. This allows the user to 
recompile new/modified versions of the free libraries, and then link  
your code with them.

But, anyway, you should ask a lawyer specialized in free software.