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lynx-dev Referring to non-free documentation for non-free software


From: Richard Stallman
Subject: lynx-dev Referring to non-free documentation for non-free software
Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 20:45:28 -0500

The FSF's position is that there is no difference between run-time
linking and static linking, as far as the GPL is concerned.  Linking
is linking.  Linking a GPL-covered program into a larger combination
is permitted if the whole combination is distributed under the GPL
(not counting libraries that come with the operating system, such as
libc, because there is an exception for them).

This is what I've said whenever people ask about it.  I don't remember
speaking with representatives of SCO about this, but I've told this to
many people on many occasions.  I'm sure that if SCO representatives
asked me about it, this is what I told them.

This policy has to be this way, because it is the only one that can
uphold the intended effect of the GPL--which is, to give permission
for using the code only in free combinations, not in non-free
combinations.  If software hoarders could avoid the requirements of
the GPL simply by using dynamic linking to combine their non-free code
with the GPL-covered program, they could easily make non-free versions
of GCC, non-free versions of Emacs, or non-free versions of any
GPL-covered program.


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