Re: [Fsfe-uk] Java licensing

[Alex Hudson]

On Tue, 2006-03-14 at 17:30 +0000, Sam Liddicott wrote:
> > There are other restrictions in the LGPL (such as 'modified libraries
> > must remain libraries' [you can't make applications out of them], 
>
> interesting, not even GPL applications? (Not that you'd want to make
> an application out of it except for proprietary machinations?)

Oh no, you can convert to GPL and then do what you please under any
circumstance, I think.

I don't really know what the 'only libs' clause was supposed to do - you
obviously couldn't convert it to a proprietary app, so perhaps it was
designed to move you over to the GPL, as that is your only legal option
unless you're the copyright holder. It would make sense, since the FSF
only wanted software libraries to be under the LGPL, not other software
- and perhaps they recognised the limitations of the licence in the more
general case.

> > Also, I suspect (though obviously cannot prove) that most people think
> > the LGPL is just the GPL with a linking exception and treat it as such.
> > When you actually read the licence, though, it's very different.
> > However, the number of applications out there licensed under the LGPL
> > (which I think is a nonsense) makes me think I'm right.
> 
> Aye, the "linking" feature turns out to depend on the linking
> applications being derived somewhat from the libraries source in able
> to be link, thus they are derivative works under copyright law.

Yeah, exactly - people think the GPL explicitly bans links or something,
when that's not the way it works.

Cheers,

Alex.