Re: [OctDev] No symbolic package in future (Windows/VC++) releases

[Jaroslav Hajek]

On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 11:52 AM, Jaroslav Hajek <address@hidden> wrote:
> On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 11:16 AM, Michael Goffioul
> <address@hidden> wrote:
>> On Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 10:51 PM, Judd Storrs <address@hidden> wrote:
>>> On Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 5:04 PM, John W. Eaton <address@hidden> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Does the FAQ answer specifically say that you are not allowed to
>>>> distribute them together?
>>>
>>> GPLv2 section 3 does:
>>>
>>> "However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not
>>> include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary
>>> form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the
>>> operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component itself
>>> accompanies the executable."
>>>
>>> The question is whether being part of the same installer counts as
>>> "accompanies the executable". GPLv3 may be more lenient. The best I could
>>> find as equivalent is at the end of section 6:
>>>
>>> "A separable portion of the object code, whose source code is excluded
>>> from the Corresponding Source as a System Library, need not be
>>> included in conveying the object code work."
>>>
>>> It seems to me that the GPLv3's "need not" is much more permissive than the
>>> GPLv2's ban on co-distribution.
>>
>> Just for the record, looking at the answer here
>>
>> http://www.ginac.de/pipermail/cln-list/2009-April/000513.html
>>
>> this guy won't stop at GiNaC/CLN. And he claims this is still
>> valid for GPLv3.
>>
>> Michael.
>>
>
> I think it comes down to the fact whether MSVC++ runtime qualifies as
> a "System Library".
> See clause 1 of GPL3:
>  The "System Libraries" of an executable work include anything, other
> than the work as a whole, that (a) is included in the normal form of
> packaging a Major Component, but which is not part of that Major
> Component, and (b) serves only to enable use of the work with that
> Major Component,
>
> Major Component here is Windows.

Ooops, sorry, I meant Major Component is MSVC++.
For clarity, I'll quote the whole paragraph again:

The “System Libraries” of an executable work include anything, other
than the work as a whole, that (a) is included in the normal form of
packaging a Major Component, but which is not part of that Major
Component, and (b) serves only to enable use of the work with that
Major Component, or to implement a Standard Interface for which an
implementation is available to the public in source code form. A
“Major Component”, in this context, means a major essential component
(kernel, window system, and so on) of the specific operating system
(if any) on which the executable work runs, or a compiler used to
produce the work, or an object code interpreter used to run it.

here
Major Component = MSVC++
System Library = MSVC++ runtime library

Note that GPL3 allows operating system, compiler or object interpreter
where GPL2 only talked about operating system. So, MSVC++ runtime
libraries apparently do qualify, as would runtime libraries of any
other compiler.

so long

-- 
RNDr. Jaroslav Hajek
computing expert & GNU Octave developer
Aeronautical Research and Test Institute (VZLU)
Prague, Czech Republic
url: www.highegg.matfyz.cz