Winamp contained modified GPL code, violating the GPL (github.com/winampdesktop)
18 points by mepian 19 days ago | 6 comments
Winamp contained modified GPL code, violating the GPL (github.com/winampdesktop)
18 points by mepian 19 days ago | 6 comments
That's just not true, surely? Lest everyone using any flavour of Linux is liable to the same problem?
How many apps out there are using GPL code? Android, for example.
Making a derivative in the sense of adding functionality to it, I get, but using it as-is as a component or library surely doesn't - and cannot - fall foul of the license else the entire technosphere is liable.
The "technosphere" is generally fairly compliant on these things. There is no disaster. But this is also why most commercial companies avoid GPL libraries.
> Lest everyone using any flavour of Linux is liable to the same problem?
The kernel is GPL. applications running on it in usermode are not constrained by the license.
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#PortProgramToGP...
It is true.
> Lest everyone using any flavour of Linux is liable to the same problem?
The Linux kernel has an explicit "system calls are not linking" exception to avoid any possible confusion on this matter.
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/LICENSES/excep...
Merely using the kernel's facilities from user space does not make your program a derivative work of the kernel.
If by that you mean, if you are using Linux in production servers: You may use GPL software in a commercial setting. The source code part only applies if you are distributing software that contains GPL code.
What? The actual history of GPL enforcement is restrained when it comes to remediation. Are you aware of some routinely punitive GPL enforcer that I am not? Or is this FUD or a joke?
I hope I've not missed some news about your own projects and that you've not been subject to anxiety or meanness on account of the GPL, either. :(
Technically, you do link to linux-vdso.so (or variants depending on architecture), which is part of the kernel image. There doesn't seem to be an explicit GPL exception for the sources of this library [0] but the general syscall exception [1] may or may not apply.
[0] e.g. https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/arch/x86/entry...
[1] https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/LICENSES/excep...