[Qt-interest] LGPL and static linking

[BRM]

While IANAL, and I would highly recommending consulting the FSF on this...

>From my limited studies of F/OSS licenses, reading of the GPL/LGPL, etc; 

Static Linking does seem to be allowed SO LONG AS you provide the object code and a method for the program to be relinked.

Again, I would consult the FSF (the writers of the LGPL) but I do believe that is their position as well.

BTW, if it were GPL licenesed, then only dynamic linking would be allowed.

Remember, this is the LGPL - the Lesser GPL - which exists for reasons such as this.

BTW, the FSF (fsf.org) is the _only_ authoritative source for the answer; and they will be happy to help you with the question.
It is part of the services they offer - http://www.fsf.org/about/contact.html:

<licensing at fsf.org> for questions about the GPL and free software licensing

Though there does seem to be some consensus by others to contact the copyright holder (in this case Qt/Nokia) as
to how they interpret a 'derivative work', namely b/c Eben Moglen has a bit stricter view (doesn't mean the FSF does though).
So the question is very valid here - what is Nokia/Qt's view on "derivative work" with respect to the LGPL?

Ben


http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/439136.html


----- Original Message ----
From: alexander golks <alex at golks.de>
To: qt-interest at trolltech.com
Sent: Wed, November 25, 2009 8:44:00 AM
Subject: Re: [Qt-interest] LGPL and static linking

yes, they do indeed.
if a lib is statically linked, you can't change the lib without changing the program.
a dll can be exchanged at runtime, not a lib.
thats the difference.

while dynamically linking a "pure"-gpl dll to commercial code is said to be dissallowed,
a lgpl-dll seems to be linkable,
whereas static linking must be explicitly allowed, as some licensers do.

but i'm no lawyer, also, so...

Am Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:13:02 +0100
schrieb qt-interest-request at trolltech.com:

> No, no they don't...
> If I were willing to supply my object files (compiled code) for you to
> link the LGPL library to, you would be able to modify the library and
> relink it with my object files.


-- 
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*/