GPL question

i_magic · n00b Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Posts: 21

Sorry, these may sound like completely stupid questions, but I dunno where else to find answers to them. (I've been to gnu.org website, but I am getting lost in the wealth of information there.)

Is Gentoo covered under GPL? (I would think so, but I wanted to check.)

If one writes a program, which uses lglibc, one would have to release it under GPL, right? (I am assuming glibc is released under GPL.)

Would one be able to write a program to run on linux which is not GPL? (I would tentatively say 'yes, but again wanted to check.)

TIA
DZ
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papal_authority · Veteran Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1823 Location: Canada

The glibc library is released under the LGPL (source) and yes, you can write a closed source program to run on Linux (e.g. Acrobat Reader). Not sure about Gentoo itself, as it's more of a meta-distribution of all other sorts of software.
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shadow255 · Guru Joined: 04 Apr 2003 Posts: 412

Gentoo is a distribution of programs which themselves are licensed according to the wishes of the respective copyright owners. The Linux kernel is at the core of this distribution of programs, and it is licensed using the GPL. Many, but not all, of the programs that make Gentoo a useful distribution are also licensed using the GPL or the LGPL. For any given package you can install, you can and should inspect its licensing terms if you want to be aware of what rights you have with it.

With respect to glibc, it is licensed under LGPL-2 which permits certain uses that do not require you to use the same license if you wish to distribute programs which utilize its functions without being themselves derivative works. IANAL, YMMV, and other disclaimers apply.

You are free to write any program which runs on GNU/Linux to your heart's content. What you are not free to do is distribute binary-only versions of your program if it is derived from GPL code. The point of the GPL is to ensure that anyone who receives code originally licensed using the GPL enjoys the same rights to use and modify it as the ones providing it did.
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alex.blackbit · Advocate Joined: 26 Jul 2005 Posts: 2397

as far as i know portage 2.1.3 will have a feature to decide if non-gpl'd packages are being installed or not.
this way you will be able to build a gpl-only gentoo system easily.