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The GPL does not have that restriction. GPL software can be distributed alongside non-GPL-compliant software just fine. This happens in every single Linux distr
by jononor 6y ago
The GPL does not have that restriction. GPL software can be distributed alongside non-GPL-compliant software just fine. This happens in every single Linux distribution.
- amelius 6y ago> The license must not place restrictions on other software that is distributed along with the licensed software. When I base software on GPL software, then my software is distributed along with that GPL software. According to this phrase, GPL might not place restrictions on my software. Yet it does.
- rpdillon 6y agoThere is a profound misunderstanding here somewhere. I suspect it is coming from the use of the phrase 'base on'. If you modify GPL licensed software, your software is restricted because it qualifies as a derivative work under copyright law, and it must comply with GPL. But if you zip up a GPL program with your non-GPL program and distribute the bundle, the GPL does nothing to restrict your non-GPL program. If there's linking involved, it gets more complicated, but that's unrelated to this discussion.
- amelius 6y ago> If there's linking involved, it gets more complicated, but that's unrelated to this discussion. I think it is very much related. If my linker cannot link GPLed software because of the license of this software, then this software is restricting my linker. As per the definition of opensource.org, GPLed software is not open source. Again, > 9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software
- jononor 6y agoOther software (distributed alongside, "mere aggregation") != Software based on a work (derivative). GPL obligations apply in the latter case, OSI definition talks about the first case.
- amelius 6y agoIf your view of the definition were true, then the OSI definition would have been more clear about the distinction. Further, as an example, software running on Linux is clearly different than the Linux kernel. Nobody would say that an application and the OS kernel is the same software. OSI doesn't make a distinction between library calls and kernel calls.
- rpdillon 6y agoOSI specifically lists the GPL as an open source approved license. https://opensource.org/licenses/GPL-2.0 https://opensource.org/licenses/GPL-2.0 https://opensource.org/licenses/GPL-3.0 https://opensource.org/licenses/GPL-3.0 Even AGPL is approved. https://opensource.org/licenses/AGPL-3.0 https://opensource.org/licenses/AGPL-3.0