MiNTlib and GPL was: RE: getopt

[Yves Pelletier <ypell@cam.org>]

On Tue, 6 Jan 1998, Julian Reschke-FJR010 wrote:

> >Any objections from the user community if I just grab GNU
> >getopt() and put it in the MiNTlib instead of what's there now? 
> 
> I think this would change the copyright status from freeware to GPL. Thus 
> you wouldn't be allowed to distribute binary only versions of programs 
> linked with the MiNT lib.

You are basically correct.  Section 6 of the GNU Library General
Public License (a special, slightly weaker GPL just for the GNU
lib) covers this.   It does allow binary distribution but does
not make it very easy.  I wouldn't want to import this into the
MiNTlib.

The MiNTlib currently contains two GPLd files: libgcc2.c and
obstack.c.  If I understand the terms of the license, those two
files should be distributed separately or the entire MiNTlib has
to be distributed under the terms of the GNU Library GPL.
Advice, corrections, and (temperate) opinions?

Yves