Calling GPL code from a Python application

[Phil Thompson]

On Wednesday 04 January 2006 9:18 am, Heiko Wundram wrote:
> Terry Hancock wrote:
> > Given that Google has been using this fact extensively, and
> > they have not been sued over it, I think it's a fairly
> > clearly established interpretation, whether it is popular or
> > not (but of course it's not a legal precedent until somebody
> > does sue and loses).
>
> This is not what the general interpretation of the GPL seems to be with
> TrollTech and several other companies. They specifically state that even
> when you develop inhouse software with GPL-libraries (Qt in the former
> case), you are required to release the code of the application under the
> GPL. If this weren't so (and you're the first I hear of that takes this
> stance), the GPL would basically be meaningless as a business model to
> them, and AFAICT this is also what the FSF tells people.
>
> I'd love to hear Phil Thompson's stance on this as the GPL licensing of Qt
> and PyQt has deterred me from creating software using Qt for university
> distribution (such as the new interactive testing framework I'm currently
> writing). In case in house use is fine with him and them, there's nothing
> keeping me from dumping wxPython for PyQt, is there? ;-)

My stance is (unsurprisingly) the same as TrollTech's - whatever it happens to 
be. When people ask me a specific licensing question, my response is: get 
TrollTech's agreement and you'll have my agreement.

Phil