Re: Integration of gettext in Perl

[Thomas Bushnell, BSG]

address@hidden (Paul Jarc) writes:

> address@hidden (Thomas Bushnell, BSG) wrote:
> > In general, the GPL applies to complete programs.
> 
> Yes, but I don't think it applies to programs that are not
> distributed, or it applies only trivially, since they are not
> distributed anyway.  If only components are distributed, and they are
> joined by the end user who never distributes the result, then the
> license of one component does not affect the other components, AFAIK.

Nope, that's not correct.  If the distributors are distributing things
which can only be plausibly used as such a combined product, then the
fact that they split things up instead of distributing things as one
package is no evasion.  

> I could even distribute proprietary code intended to be linked with
> GPL'ed code; I'm safe as long as my component, as distributed, is not
> itself a derivative work, and the end user is safe at least in the US:
> <URL:http://cr.yp.to/softwarelaw.html>

Well, no.  Not if it is your intention that it be linked with the
GPL'd code, and you are doing this as a way to try and get around the
requirements of the GPL.