On Sat, 16 Aug 2003, Steinar Bang wrote:
Igor Pechtchanski <pechtcha@cs.nyu.edu>:
[snip!]
Unfortunately, you wouldn't be able to distribute the resulting
application, because anything linked with cygwin1.dll automatically
becomes GPLd. If you could find an open-source JDK, this problem
would not arise.
IANAL, but... can this be right?
If I write an application for UNIX/linux and make it available under
some other license than GPL, and someone else ports it to CygWin, I
don't see how this would automatically make my application be GPL'd?
An in any case, this would only apply to the JDK in this case. A Java
application running inside the JDK shouldn't be affected in any way.
Ah well. Off-topic I guess. And it isn't even Friday anymore.
Steinar,
Well, there has been plenty of GPL discussion on the Cygwin list -- let's
not also start it on cygwin-xfree. However, since this involves something
I said, I'd like to correct one misunderstanding: if you release your
application under some licence that's not compatible with GPL (as defined
by FSF), whoever ports your application to Cygwin and distributes it is
*in violation* of the GPL (but that does not make your application GPL --
you, as the author, completely control the licensing terms). For more
information, please review the numerous discussions on the Cygwin list or
contact a GPL discussion list.
Igor