GNU General Public License

[reteset]

Hi
i am going to use a (large) library in either source code and binary form
i will distribute that library as it is without any change

this library licensed with GNU General Public License
my application is commercial and closed source

i will use that library as a part of my application

can anyone tell me who are familiar with these maze like licenses
if i will use this library , will i violate GNU General Public License

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html

thanks

[Mark]

Hi reteset,

As far as I understand it, it depends on a whole bunch of things: e.g. what version of the GPL is being used? Is it the GPL or LGPL?

Sometimes if the library is compiled into a binary (DLL) and you are using it in that manner you do not have to GPL your piece of software. I've also seen it where GPL libraries offer the same library under a different license for a price.

From my experience most libraries that are GPL have some docs that explain the repercussions of using their library.

I know that isn't much help, but that's my experience anyway.

mark.

[reteset]

Mark

thank you for your comments

header of license file like below , it refers to version 2

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the
terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any later version.

the library , consist of some DLLs and commandline tools
DLL files are dependencies of Exe files, so my application will not use DLLs directly
i will only run commanline applications and use their output

i will distribute them as binaries along with my application

[T3STY]

Check out this link reteset (GNU GPL v.3):
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html

In particular, read the 6th paragraph which is about redistributing code in object form (in your case, DLL libraries); I think it's what you're looking for

[Mark]

Hey reteset,

I would check the libraries README files or FAQ files to see if they mention anything regarding using the library as a compiled binary in a commercial application. You may want to email the library providers and ask them, or make a post in their forums, as I'm sure that the question has come up before.

It's important to note that you can release of piece of software that complies with the GPL and costs money.

mark.

[reteset]

Mark

thank you for information , i will try to contact or i will use alternatives


T3STY

i have read whole text a few times
but there is no concrete definition about commercial usage , or distributing with closed source application , it always assumes that you have an open source application

[Mark]

but there is no concrete definition about commercial usage , or distributing with closed source application , it always assumes that you have an open source application

As far as I understand it commercial usage is compliant with the GPL, the really question is whether or not you application can be closed source. Open Source GPL software can cost money.

But as I said earlier the creators of the library would know more.

Best of luck.

mark.