Question regarding modules/pluggins license?

Alexander Terekhov TEREKHOV at de.ibm.com
Mon Mar 1 15:51:25 UTC 2004


Ian Lance Taylor wrote:
[...]
> A number of people have argued that if the only implementation 
> of an API is under the GPL, and if the API is not independently 
> described, nor managed by a standards organization, then 
> writing to that API is, in effect, creating a derived work of 
> the software which implements the API.

Look at your Linux CD (or Hurd-based something for that matter).

The LGPL'd glibc IS linked with the GPL'd kernel(s). It is 
basically a "plug in" thing with respect to the kernel(s) (it 
IS inherently kernel specific stuff). Many of those internal 
kernel interfaces are neither independently described, nor 
managed by a standards organization... yet nobody's suing the 
distributors. Amazing.

regards,
alexander.

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