| Bruce Badger 2005-09-19, 6:59 pm |
| On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 15:10:34 +0100, Chris Uppal wrote:
> The point isn't how my code was developed (I could have written it in
> Dolphin and pushed it through an automatic Dolphin->GST translation tool
> for instance). The point is that the program (executable or near
> equivalent) I distribute would contain large chunks of GPLed code, and
> as such would (IMO) come under clause 2(b):
>
> You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in
> whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part
> thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties
> under the terms of this License.
If you distribute GNU Smalltalk, yes, you must make the source code for
that available.
If you distribute software that you hold the copyright for, it is for you
to decide how to license it and whether to make the source code available.
Shipping both of these on one CD and having them both installed on a
target machine does not change the licensing (and therefore the source
code availability requirements) for either.
So far, so clear.
Now, when you start the app you are running your code in the GNU Smalltalk
environment. Does this change anything? Well, if you look at the intent
as explicitly expressed in the GNU Smalltalk manual, the answer is no. If
you look for an example to the way the GCC can be used, the answer is no.
If you read the letter of the GPL, things get fuzzy (linking etc.), but
given the explicit declaration in the GNU Smalltalk manual, the answer
remains no.
i.e. you do not have to make code you write and deploy using GNU Smalltalk
available under the GPL. ... but IANAL.
All the best,
Bruce
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