5 ms·

Do you mean that if you call any function which is part of a GPL'd library then consequentially your work is a derivative. Going by that logic can anything runn

Do you mean that if you call any function which is part of a GPL'd library then consequentially your work is a derivative. Going by that logic can anything running on Linux be a non-GPL'd commercial product ?! I am really confused right now !

callahad 17y ago
Not quite -- the GPL makes exceptions for that in Section 1: "However, [the "Corresponding Source"] does not include the work's System Libraries, or general-purpose tools or generally available free programs which are used unmodified in [generating, installing, running, or modifying the work] but which are not part of the work." Basically, system stuff is exempt. But you're right to be confused. If bright, prominent developers like jacobian and jnoller can't definitively answer these questions, then there's a problem with the implementation of either the GPL or the US legal system. After all, if the developers themselves can't fully grok the GPL, then who is it for?
wmf 17y ago
Linux made an exception to the GPL so that Linux programs don't have to be GPLed.
- wmf 17y ago
  I'm not sure why this was voted down; here's the relevant text: NOTE! This copyright does not cover user programs that use kernel services by normal system calls - this is merely considered normal use of the kernel, and does not fall under the heading of "derived work". http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-2.6.30.y.git;a=blob;f=COPYING;h=ca442d313d86dc67e0a2e5d584b465bd382cbf5c;hb=HEAD http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-2.6.3...
  - blasdel 17y ago
    I voted it down because it was so ming-bogglingly stupid that I yelled and spun around in my chair! I briefly considered unsubscribing from your blog before I calmed down. The note in COPYING is just to allay FUD, it's not actually necessary and certainly isn't a GPL exception. For starters, nearly all programs (by volume) making syscalls don't use any specific to Linux -- there's no way it's derivative if it runs fine on another kernel. Furthermore, responding to syscalls is what Linux is FOR in 'normal use' -- not even the FSF is jackass enough to claim that bash scripts are derivative works, even if they are riddled with bash-isms.

callahad 17y ago

Not quite -- the GPL makes exceptions for that in Section 1: "However, [the "Corresponding Source"] does not include the work's System Libraries, or general-purpose tools or generally available free programs which are used unmodified in [generating, installing, running, or modifying the work] but which are not part of the work." Basically, system stuff is exempt. But you're right to be confused. If bright, prominent developers like jacobian and jnoller can't definitively answer these questions, then there's a problem with the implementation of either the GPL or the US legal system. After all, if the developers themselves can't fully grok the GPL, then who is it for?

wmf 17y ago

Linux made an exception to the GPL so that Linux programs don't have to be GPLed.

wmf 17y ago
I'm not sure why this was voted down; here's the relevant text: NOTE! This copyright does not cover user programs that use kernel services by normal system calls - this is merely considered normal use of the kernel, and does not fall under the heading of "derived work". http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-2.6.30.y.git;a=blob;f=COPYING;h=ca442d313d86dc67e0a2e5d584b465bd382cbf5c;hb=HEAD http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-2.6.3...
- blasdel 17y ago
  I voted it down because it was so ming-bogglingly stupid that I yelled and spun around in my chair! I briefly considered unsubscribing from your blog before I calmed down. The note in COPYING is just to allay FUD, it's not actually necessary and certainly isn't a GPL exception. For starters, nearly all programs (by volume) making syscalls don't use any specific to Linux -- there's no way it's derivative if it runs fine on another kernel. Furthermore, responding to syscalls is what Linux is FOR in 'normal use' -- not even the FSF is jackass enough to claim that bash scripts are derivative works, even if they are riddled with bash-isms.