4 ms·

libgccjit looks good. Is it still bound to the GPL license?

• adamdusty 5y ago
  As far as I can tell, yes. There is a "GPL licensed" footer at the bottom of the libgccjit page[0]. [0]: https://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/JIT https://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/JIT
  • est31 5y ago
    And as the FSF has stopped requiring copyright assignments, their hands are bound for the future. If it turns out that something like LGPL is better in the long term, there is no chance for a relicensing in the future.
    • CUViper 5y ago
      That change came from the GCC steering committee, not the FSF.
  • tadfisher 5y ago
    This mostly matters for code contributions, correct? Does dynamically linking to libgccjit.so trigger the GPL requirements for the linking code?
    • cygx 5y ago
      Does dynamically linking to libgccjit.so trigger the GPL requirements for the linking code? Yes, the GPL triggers if you distribute programs that merely link against a thusly licensed library - at least that's the intention. Full disclosure, there are people who disagree with the FSF's interpretation, arguing that merely linking to a library doesn't necessarily create a derivative work. I don't know if that has ever been tested in a court of law...
      • tadfisher 5y ago
        Thanks, I was alluding to the libgcc license, which has an exception for dynamic linking. But it appears libgccjit is GPL3 without the exception, like the rest of core GCC.