LGPL vs. GPL + Classpath Exception

[Matthew Flaschen]

Bruce Alspaugh wrote:
> Can someone summarize the main differences between the LGPL, and the GPL
> with a classpath exception?
> Sun has released Java using the GPL + Classpath exception.  Was there
> some reason why they would choose it over LGPL?

Well, they chose GPL + Classpath because that is the license used by,
appropriately, the GNU Classpath project
(http://www.gnu.org/software/classpath/).  The question is then why
Classpath has that license.  The main difference is that LGPL poses
certain requirements on the application that uses the LGPL library.  It
needn't be under LGPL or GPL (or any free license), and source doesn't
have to be provided.  However, the license must allow /private/
modification, and reverse-engineering.  It says "the terms permit
modification of the work for the customer's own use and reverse
engineering for debugging such modifications."  That's a pretty low
standard of freedom, but apparently it still makes people uncomfortable
so Classpath has no such constraint.

Matthew Flaschen