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Problems with GPL

2005-10-11
2013-03-18
  • David Robison

    David Robison - 2005-10-11

    We have a problem using GPL software in our closed source application. Is there any possibility that you might change and release your program as LGPL?

    Thanks, David Robison

     
    • Johann N. Löfflmann

      Dear David,

      if you really like Open Source Software (I guess you do, because I have seen your OSS projects on sf.net), I'm wondering why you don't apply the OSS policy not also to your new software rather than making it closed source?

      Jacksum is security software. From a security point of view, security software should never be closed source.
      As the LGPL allows you to include Jacksum in a closed source software, it makes no sense in my opinion to apply the LGPL for Jacksum.

      Jacksum's main purpose is to give everybody an absolutely free and platform independent
      checksum/integrity tool. So actually, Jacksum is an application which also offers a public API, but to be exact Jacksum is not just only a library.

      Jacksum uses the GNU Crypto packages which are licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). Therefore Jacksum is also licensed under the terms of the GPL rather than the LGPL. These are the terms of the GPL.

      Today, the Jacksum project can always use GPL licensed software whenever this is needed. If Jacksum is covered under the LGPL this would not be possilbe anymore. This would cause a conflict with the main purpose of the project.

      BTW, the Free Software Foundation has also an opinion on GPL vs. LGPL: "Why you shouldn't use the Library GPL for your next library" at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-not-lgpl.html

      Thanks,
      Johann N. Loefflmann

       
    • David Robison

      David Robison - 2005-10-11

      Thanks for your reply. While I do support some open source projects, I als work for a consulting company that develops software for state and federal government clients. I was interested in using you library for calculating various checksums returned from fielded devices. I really like you library and would like to use it, but we cannot release our corporate software as GPL. Thanks for you rime and best wishes for you project.

      David Robison

       

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