Question about GPL licence

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theHobbit
Posts: 65
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 5:26 am

Question about GPL licence

Post by theHobbit »

Hi there, i was reading about open source licences (especially the GPL and LGPL licences) the other day.
But there is something a didn't understand quite well, for example if i use the SDL library wich is
licenced under LGPL, with no modifications in my app, do i have to release the source
code of the app?
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jojojoris
Posts: 255
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 4:06 am

Re: Question about GPL licence

Post by jojojoris »

The GNU Lesser General Public Licence

The LGPL is similar to the GPL, but is more designed for software libraries where you want to allow non-GPL applications to link to your library and utilise it. If you modify the software, you still have to give back the source code, but you are allowed to link it with proprietary stuff without giving the source code to all of that back.
So if you don't modifie SDL you don't have to publish yout source.

Code: Select all

int main(){
     SetupCallbacks();
     makeNiceGame();
     sceKernelExitGame();
}
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J.F.
Posts: 2906
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2004 11:41 am

Post by J.F. »

The main difference of the LGPL is you never have to give the source for YOUR program. If you modify the LGPL lib, then you have to give the changes you made to the lib. Your program remains your program. That is why the vast majority of libraries in linux are LGPL - that allows closed-source proprietary software to be run on linux. That is why Gnome is used for nearly all such programs instead of QT - QT requires a commercial license for closed source, so if you don't pay the license, you're stuck with the GPL license. I think they finally changed that within the last year to try to encourage commercial apps on KDE.
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kralyk
Posts: 114
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2008 8:18 pm
Location: Czech Republic, central EU

Post by kralyk »

Yes QT is now available under LGPL as well
see http://www.qtsoftware.com/downloads
...sorry for my english...
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J.F.
Posts: 2906
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2004 11:41 am

Post by J.F. »

kralyk wrote:Yes QT is now available under LGPL as well
see http://www.qtsoftware.com/downloads
I forget when they did that exactly, but it took away one of the major points for using Gnome over KDE. It made some folks happy, and others mad.
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theHobbit
Posts: 65
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 5:26 am

Post by theHobbit »

Now i get it, thanks everyone for your answers.
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