Re: License question

["R. Douglas Barbieri" <dooglio gmail com>]

On 12/9/05, Daniel Lidström <daniel lidstrom sbg se> wrote:
> Hello!
>
> I'm interested in using the ustring from gtkmm, but since our project is
> ``closed'', I need to know how I can use gtkmm. The license is LGPL, which
> as I understand, only allows linking with non-modified gtkmm. Otherwise we
> would have to disclose our source code too. But if I use ustring for
> example,
> I would have to make sure that it is not a template class, since in that
> case
> no code would likely be linked. So in order to use any part of gtkmm, I have
> to know if that piece of code causes linking with the shared library? This
> would rule out using any template code that doesn't cause linking with the
> shared library, in closed source software.

IANAL, but as I understand the LGPL, you can link against it without
having to publically release your derivative code. However, if you
modify the files in the gtkmm library itself, you have to share those
files back out. You do not, however, have to share the files that link
against the library.

So, for example, if you have a file that uses the ustring class, that
file you can keep under your own license without release. If you
create a template that wraps the ustring class, or derives from it,
that template class is still under your own license. However, if you
modify the ustring class itself (for example, you add a new method or
data member, or modify code in an existing method), you are required
to share only those changes you made to the ustring class itself.


> Hälsningar,
> Daniel
> _______________________________________________
> gtkmm-list mailing list
> gtkmm-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gtkmm-list
>


--
R. Douglas Barbieri
doug dooglio net