[lug] Change in GNU C++ license from 2.96 to 3.2

Scott Herod herod at dimensional.com
Wed Dec 3 10:01:44 MST 2003


I know this is like beating an undead horse, but I noticed that the 
license statement at the top of the C++ header files changed from 2.96 to 
3.2.  In particular the last paragraph of the 2.96 version says:

// As a special exception, if you link this library with files
// compiled with a GNU compiler to produce an executable, this does not 
cause
// the resulting executable to be covered by the GNU General Public 
License.
// This exception does not however invalidate any other reasons why
// the executable file might be covered by the GNU General Public License.

While in 3.2 it says:

// As a special exception, you may use this file as part of a free 
software
// library without restriction.  Specifically, if other files instantiate
// templates or use macros or inline functions from this file, or you 
compile
// this file and link it with other files to produce an executable, this
// file does not by itself cause the resulting executable to be covered by
// the GNU General Public License.  This exception does not however
// invalidate any other reasons why the executable file might be covered 
by
// the GNU General Public License.

Does that knotty little word "free" mean that the C++ compiler for gcc 3.2
can't be used for commercial applications?  I confess to some confusion
since the FSF has been so careful to define what they mean by "free" but
this sentence seems rather ambiguous.  It strikes me as something that
wasn't considered particularly well.




More information about the LUG mailing list