[Qt-interest] Qt 4.5 Open Source (Windows) -- is it legal to redistribute the Qt DLLs?

[Arnold Krille]

On Saturday 21 March 2009 21:58:48 André Somers wrote:
> I am not sure if that is correct. If it is, then how on earth can it be
> that there are closed source device drivers and closed source applications
> around in the Linux ecosystem? Don't they link to system libraries?
> As I have understood it, it is allowed to link your closed source
> application to a GPL system lib. However, admittedly, there is a lot of
> grey area here... However: IANAL!

I am not a lawyer either, but: Linking a closed source app to a gpl-lib _is_ 
illegal. No grey area there. (To repeat Thiago: thats why the system libs on 
linux are LGPL. And thats why Trolltech choose GPL for the free edition of Qt 
and only could afford the LGPL version after it is Nokia now.)

From what I know from the fsf website: If your lib is unique and very good and 
you want all apps using it to be open-source, choose gpl as license, if you 
want your lib to be used widely and have competition, choose LGPL to allow 
adoption by closed source apps too.

There is a grey area and lots of discussion both on the kernel list and at the 
distributions about blobs for drivers in the kernelspace.
Side note: There is also definitely no grey area when linking to LGPL (or using 
LGPL in your applience) and not telling the customers/users about it.

Have a good night/day,

Arnold
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