[Qt-interest] LGPL and static linking

[Garth Dahlstrom]

It's fine.

GPL = if you link to GPL code in ANY way (dynamic or static, doesn't matter) your code must be GPL (gcc compiler exception not withstanding), and with GPL where binaries go, source (for everything) must be available.

LGPL = Lesser GPL (or Library GPL as it was sometimes called) is a weakened version of the GPL necessary to encourage the adoption of libraries written on open standard in commercial application development while at the same time preventing proprietary forking (*cough*... Microsoft... *cough*), it allows for developers to distribute the LGPL code in binary code (static or dynamic, doesn't matter) without providing source provided the LGPL code has not been modified.   If the LGPL code is modified, then the changes to the LGPL code must be made available to whomever receives the binary.   The application code linked against the LGPL libraries does not have to be open source regardless.

On 2009-11-25, at 10:04 AM, Paul Miller wrote:
> Buy the commercial license.

That wouldn't solve his problem, there is a whole whack of code that licensed under the LGPL within the 3rdparty sources folder.

Only a copyright holder over the complete work could offer an alternate license of all that code, therefore he would not get out complying with the LGPL without excluding that code, unless the LGPL works as I described it above  [ If that 3rdparty code get excluded from commercial builds, then perhaps I've got it wrong, me thinks it is not ].

Cheers,

-G