[gtkada] Static linking to Gtk libraries for Solaris 2.8

[Jeffrey Creem]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Frode Tennebø" <frode at tennebo.com>
To: <gtkada at lists.act-europe.fr>
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2003 5:32 PM
Subject: Re: [gtkada] Static linking to Gtk libraries for Solaris 2.8


> On Friday 16 May 2003 12:50, Jeffrey Creem wrote:
> [snip]
> > can't really say I understand for sure but in general, you can not
> > "distribute" this statically linked executable as easily and still
> > remain in compliance with the LGPL since there is now no way for an
> > end user to upgrade the LGPL components and continue to run you
> > program.
>
> I'm not a lawyer either, but that statement is positively false since a
> staic binary is the only way for a 'vendor' to guarantee continued
> usage of an application regardless of what the end user does or does
> not with his existing components.
>


You are reading too much (and sometimes too little) into these license
clauses. The LGPL does not care
about what you think you need to do to make the program work, it cares about
freedom. You always have the choice of doing the static link and then
distributing all of the source code for your application along with the
binary since the LGPL says you can choose to distribute in accordance with
the GPL if you'd like (but not the other way around).

So, I will proceed with the I am not a lawyer AND that this is a
simplification leaving out some of the other ways to do it (I can assure you
they are probably no more applealing to a proprietary sw developer)

if you distribute a statically linked program as a binary only and it
incorporates a work that is licensed under the LGPL, you are in violation of
the LGPL, US Copyright law, many other countries laws. You are also in
violation of the spirit and the Letter of the LGPL.


Note that this is not intended to be any GPL or LGPL FUD. There are options
here but it is important to understand these licenses.