GPL and Python modules.

[Cliff Wells]

On Mon, 2004-10-25 at 17:30 -0700, Robert Kern wrote:
> Tim Churches wrote:
> > 
> > Yes. It seems to be them is some dissonance between these two positions:
> > 
> > "It is OK for a closed-source application to allocate memory on a system
> > running the GPLed Linux kernel"
> > 
> > and
> > 
> > "It is not OK for a GPL-incompatible Python application to import GPLed
> > code into the runtime namespace it is using."
> > 
> > I shudder to think what a judge and jury would make of such a
> > distinction. 
> 
> I'm sure they would see the explicit exception made in the GPL:
> 
> """
> However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not 
> include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or 
> binary form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of 
> the operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component 
> itself accompanies the executable.
> """

I'm sure they would see it, I'm less sure they would see its relevance
(I certainly don't).  The exception you refer to allows authors to ship
*GPL* applications without including the source for everything under the
sun.  It says nothing about allowing non-GPL applications to link
against GPL libraries or import GPL code.

Regards,
Cliff

-- 
Cliff Wells <clifford.wells at comcast.net>