Dynamic linking, was: Re: Dispelling BSD License Misconceptions

[John Cowan]

Arnoud Engelfriet scripsit:

> Specifically written to work only with one particular other program.
> Then it's a derivative. It is based on one pre-existing work and
> cannot function without that specific pre-existing work. That makes
> it a derivative in my book.

That comes awfully close to saying that if you write an article arguing
for some position, and I write another article arguing against yours,
that my work is a derivative of yours, even if I don't quote you (or at
least not beyond fair use/fair dealing).  That seems to me a socially
dangerous position (it would make life hard for lawyers!).

In particular, there exists the C Answer Book (Tondo & Gimpel), which
gives answers to the study questions in The C Programming Language
(Kernighan & Ritchie).  I can't see that it is a derivative work, even
though it is hardly usable without K&R.

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