samjh
March 31st, 2007, 03:07 PM
Just some questions:
If a closed-source proprietary software is developed using GCC, is that breaching the GPL?
What if the software is able to be compiled using an alternative compiler (eg. Mingw, Visual C++, Intel, etc.), and is not exclusively dependent on GCC's functionality?
If the compiled binary (ie. the binary that will be sold) is built using GCC, does that bind the binary under GPL, forcing its release with GPL only?
I'm very aware that the legal issues are uncertain. I'm legally trained and have read the GPL, but there are many ambiguities. What is the Linux community's general view of the matter?
If a closed-source proprietary software is developed using GCC, is that breaching the GPL?
What if the software is able to be compiled using an alternative compiler (eg. Mingw, Visual C++, Intel, etc.), and is not exclusively dependent on GCC's functionality?
If the compiled binary (ie. the binary that will be sold) is built using GCC, does that bind the binary under GPL, forcing its release with GPL only?
I'm very aware that the legal issues are uncertain. I'm legally trained and have read the GPL, but there are many ambiguities. What is the Linux community's general view of the matter?