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Mailing lists / lazarus / 2008-07

LGPL question

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Mattias Gaertner
to Bart
Show quoted text 7 lines
Hi, The LCL and FPC is licensed under a modified LGPL. The text in COPYING.LGPL still refers to version 2 (1991). Can I license my modifications under the latest LGPL (currently version 3)? I cannot find an answer to that on the wiki page.

Yes, afaik any later GP license is compatible.

Mattias

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Mattias Gaertner
to Mattias Gaertner: On Fri, 4 Jul 2008 14:15:25 +0200 Yes, afaik any later GP license is compatible. Mattias
Show quoted text 12 lines
On Fri, 4 Jul 2008 14:15:25 +0200 Bart wrote: > Hi, > > The LCL and FPC is licensed under a modified LGPL. > The text in COPYING.LGPL still refers to version 2 (1991). > > Can I license my modifications under the latest LGPL (currently > version 3)? I cannot find an answer to that on the wiki page. Yes, afaik any later GP license is compatible.

Maybe I misunderstood your intention.

The IDE and the codetool are licensed under GPL2 or any later version, so it can be mixed with GPL3 code.

The LCL and most components are licensed under the modified LGPL2, so you can link any GP license (and many more), but source patches must be LGPL2 too.
If you mean with 'modifications' to publish source patches or forks of the LCL itself then they must be under the modified LGPL2, not LGPL3.

Mattias

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Bart
to Mattias Gaertner
Show quoted text 11 lines
Maybe I misunderstood your intention. The IDE and the codetool are licensed under GPL2 or any later version, so it can be mixed with GPL3 code. The LCL and most components are licensed under the modified LGPL2, so you can link any GP license (and many more), but source patches must be LGPL2 too. If you mean with 'modifications' to publish source patches or forks of the LCL itself then they must be under the modified LGPL2, not LGPL3.

Thanks for clearing that up to me.
I wrote some patches and extensions for some fpc RTL functions, based on the code in the RTL, which I intend to publish with my app. I also wrote the MinimizeName function that was missing in Laz 0.9.24, and I use that too in my published code.
The MinimizeName function (currently in FileCtlr.pas) I donated to Lazarus via the bugtracker...
(I was not aware that by doing so, the code was autmatically licensed under LGPL 2 and not a more recent version)

I guess I will publish my code under modified LGPL 2, since it now is part of or derived from the RTL/LCL.

B.t.w. What is the reason not to use the LGPL 3 for the Lazarus LCL/ FreePascal RTL?

Bart
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Mattias Gaertner
to Bart
Show quoted text 8 lines
[...] Thanks for clearing that up to me. I wrote some patches and extensions for some fpc RTL functions, based on the code in the RTL, which I intend to publish with my app. I also wrote the MinimizeName function that was missing in Laz 0.9.24, and I use that too in my published code. The MinimizeName function (currently in FileCtlr.pas) I donated to Lazarus via the bugtracker...

Good.

Show quoted text 8 lines
(I was not aware that by doing so, the code was autmatically licensed under LGPL 2 and not a more recent version) I guess I will publish my code under modified LGPL 2, since it now is part of or derived from the RTL/LCL. B.t.w. What is the reason not to use the LGPL 3 for the Lazarus LCL/ FreePascal RTL?

It didn't exist at that time.
Why do you miss the LGPL3?

Mattias

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Bart
to Mattias Gaertner
It didn't exist at that time. Why do you miss the LGPL3?

I do not really care what LGPL (the differences between 2 and 3 are beyond me), I just thought it might be easier just to refer to LGPL and not one specific version, assuming the "spirit" of LGPL will remain intact. (I gathered that some loopholes from LGPL 2 were repaired in LGPL 3, but again this "legal speak" is beyond me)

As for now I'll just stick to Modified LGPL 2.
If at any time the FPC/Lazarus team decides to re-license, I'll adjust accordingly.

I just did not want to give my code a license that was not compatible with the code i derived it from.

Bart
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