Calling GPL code from a Python application

[Michel Sanner]

Hello,

One of the greatest feature of Python in my opinion is the way the 
interpreter can be used to integrate a wide variety of
software packages by dynamically linking them.  This approach has been 
extremely successful for us so far but now I run
into a license nightmare.

Some the libraries we wrapped using SWIG are under GPL but the 
applications we are distributing are not (mainly because
we are asked by funding agencies to keep track of users and hence ask 
people to download the source from our site).

A google search about GPL and dynamic linking came up with an equal 
number of pages saying that dynamic linking of GPL
code into non GPL applications is allowed as it is the end user who 
cretes the derived work, as pages saying the opposite ! 
So does anyone know what to do about this ?

The second question I would like to get an answer for is whether doing 
an "os.system('GPLapp')" violates GPL if I ship
my Python code that does the os.system call and the GPLapp program ?

Thanks for any input.

Please reply to sanner at scripps.edu

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   o
  /    Michel F. Sanner Ph.D.            The Scripps Research Institute
o      Associate Professor               Department of Molecular Biology
  \                                      10550 North Torrey Pines Road
   o   Tel. (858) 784-2341               La Jolla, CA 92037
  /    Fax. (858) 784-2860
o     sanner at scripps.edu                 http://www.scripps.edu/~sanner
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