Linking restrictions and shared libraries

[Dave J Woolley]

> From:	Dr. David Gilbert [SMTP:gilbertd at treblig.org]
> 
> What I am unclear of is shared libraries; is there something actually
> copied into the result as part of the linking stage?  If I was to rewrite
> a header for a GPL library so that I didn't make use of the GPLd header
> could I then shared link it into a commercial app?
> 
[DJW:]  It's a grey area.  However the more common libraries
are under the LGPL which allows linking with proprietory 
applications under certain conditions, which don't require
release of source code, but depending on how you read it, may
require a limited license to modify and reverse engineer the 
code.

If you try this for an FSF library that is under the GPL and not
the LGPL, and get away with it, I think you will simply have 
hastened the production of a version 3 of the GPL that forbids
such usage explicitly.

IANAL

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