Twisted 1.0.4

[Andrew Bennetts]

On Tue, Apr 22, 2003 at 08:14:58PM -0700, Erik Max Francis wrote:
> Andrew Bennetts wrote:
> 
> > Using gcc doesn't require you to link against anything, let alone LGPLed
> > libraries -- although of course that is the most common situation; most
> > systems using gcc will also be using glibc.  But the libraries linked
> > against are a seperate issue to the point I was making about gcc; using
> > gcc doesn't necessitate using LGPLed libraries, ...
> 
> While that's in some sense technically true, any use of gcc to build an
> application -- that is, actually create an application rather than
> simply compile to object code via the -c option -- _will_ silently link
> in those pesky LGPL libraries like libc or libg++.
> 
> In special forms of embedded systems where you in effect have your own
> operating system, one might use gcc in a way where no such linking takes
> place, but for any typical application it will, whether you realize it
> or not.  (I'm not sure whether or not you're aware of this, but I
> thought I'd point it out anyway.)

Yep, I'm aware of this (but I don't mind you pointing it out, because it
might not be obvious to some).

I've never tried this, but I believe you can use gcc to build a .dll for
windows -- e.g. a .pyd to accelerate some part of a python program (look,
ma, I'm still on-topic! ;).  This would be dynamically linked to Python and
perhaps some OS services when used on Windows, but there the standard C libs
aren't LGPL...

I believe gcc can also be used on proprietary unix systems where the
standard libc is *not* glibc, but the vendor's own implementation.  For that
matter, don't the various BSD flavours have their own, BSD-licenced, libc?

Again, my point is that gcc isn't relevant to the licence of C code compiled
with it; it's just a compiler, and compiled code isn't a derived work of the
compiler, or whatever the magic legalese in the GPL is.  The libraries
compiled into or linked with your code are a seperate matter, and can have
licences relevant to your code.

-Andrew.