Filter
Top Products
75
License Information
know that what they have is not the original version, so that the original author's reputation will
not be affected by problems that might be introduced by others.
Finally, software patents pose a constant threat to the existenceof any free program. We wish to
make sure that a company cannot effectively restrict the users of a free program by obtaining a
restrictive licensefrom a patentholder. Therefore, weinsist that anypatent license obtainedfor a
version of the library must be consistent with the full freedom of use specified in this license.
Most GNU software, including some libraries, is covered by the ordinary GNU General Public
License. This license, the GNU Lesser General Public License, applies to certain designated
libraries, and is quite differentfrom the ordinary General Public License. Weuse this license for
certain libraries in order to permit linking those libraries into non-free programs.
When a program is linked with a library, whether statically or using a shared library, the
combination of the two is legally speaking a combined work, a derivative of the original library.
The ordinary General Public License therefore permits such linking only if the entire
combination fits its criteria of freedom. The Lesser General Public License permits more lax
criteria for linking other code with the library.
We callthis license the"Lesser" GeneralPublic License becauseit doesLess to protectthe user's
freedom thantheordinary GeneralPublic License.Italso providesother freesoftware developers
Less of an advantage overcompeting non-free programs. These disadvantages are the reasonwe
use theordinary GeneralPublic Licensefor manylibraries. However, theLesser licenseprovides
advantages in certain special circumstances.
For example,on rare occasions, theremay be aspecial need toencourage the widestpossible use
of a certain library, so that it becomes a de-facto standard. To achieve this, non-free programs
must beallowed touse thelibrary. Amore frequentcase isthat afree library doesthe samejob as
widely used non-free libraries. In this case, there is little to gain by limiting the free library to
free software only, so we use the Lesser General Public License.
In other cases, permission to use a particular library in non-free programs enables a greater
number of people to use a large body of free software. For example, permission to use the GNU
C Library in non-free programs enables many more people to use the whole GNU operating
system, as well as its variant, the GNU/Linux operating system.
Although the Lesser General Public License is Less protective of the users' freedom, it does
ensure that the user of a program that is linked with the Library has the freedom and the
wherewithal to run that program using a modified version of the Library.
The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification follow. Pay close
attention to the difference between a "work based on the library" and a "work that uses the
library". Theformer contains codederived from the library,whereas the lattermust be combined
with the library in order to run.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
0. This License Agreement applies to any software library or other program which contains a
notice placed by
the copyrightholder or otherauthorized party sayingit may bedistributed underthe terms ofthis
Lesser General Public License (also called "this License"). Each licensee is addressed as "you".
A "library" means a collection of software functions and/or data prepared so as to be
conveniently linked with application programs (which use some of those functions and data) to
form executables.
The "Library", below, refers to any such software library or work which has been distributed
under these terms. A "work based on the Library" means either the Library or any derivative
work under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Library or a portion of it, either
verbatim or with modifications and/or translated straightforwardly into another language.
(Hereinafter, translation is included without limitation in the term "modification".)
"Source code" for a work means the preferred form of the work for making modifications to it.
For a library, complete source code means all the source code for all modules it contains, plus
any associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to control compilation and
installation of the library.
Activities otherthan copying, distributionand modification arenot covered bythis License; they
are outside its scope.The act of running a programusing the Library is not restricted, andoutput