david@WUBIOS.WUSTL.EDU (David J. Camp) (01/22/90)
Does the GNU copyright automatically apply to programs compiled by gcc? -David- Bitnet: david@wubios.wustl ^ Mr. David J. Camp Internet: david%wubios@wugate.wustl.edu < * > Box 8067, Biostatistics uucp: uunet!wugate!wubios!david v 660 South Euclid Washington University (314) 36-23635 Saint Louis, MO 63110
david@WUBIOS.WUSTL.EDU (David J. Camp) (01/23/90)
> >In article <9001221321.AA02849@wubios.WUstl.EDU> you write: >>Does the GNU copyright automatically apply to programs compiled by gcc? > >An interesting question. In general, no, passing code through the >compiler doesn't make it subject to copyleft. If you include any Gnu >library code, possibly even the tiny helper library that GCC uses, then >the copyleft for the library appears to spread to the program that uses it. > >A clear statement of the FSF's postion would be useful, but I haven't seen >one. > >Regards, >John Levine, johnl@esegue.segue.boston.ma.us, {spdcc|ima|lotus}!esegue!johnl > In that case, what happens when you inadvertantly compile someone else's sources (perhaps a Public Domain or freely licensed program) with gcc, and it happens to use alloca or some other supported function? Surely you cannot by your action impose a copyright on software which was not yours to begin with. This question has serious ramifications. If I were to apply the GNU copyright to the compiler for a new language that I were to invent, would then every program ever written in that language bear the GNU copyright? -David- Bitnet: david@wubios.wustl ^ Mr. David J. Camp Internet: david%wubios@wugate.wustl.edu < * > Box 8067, Biostatistics uucp: uunet!wugate!wubios!david v 660 South Euclid Washington University (314) 36-23635 Saint Louis, MO 63110
grunwald@foobar.colorado.edu (Dirk Grunwald) (01/23/90)
> >A clear statement of the FSF's postion would be useful, but I haven't seen >one. > >Regards, >John Levine, johnl@esegue.segue.boston.ma.us, {spdcc|ima|lotus}!esegue!johnl > this has been stated many times. see back issues of gnu.misc.discuss. the helper routines (alloca et al) in gnulib, gnulib2 and gnulib3 are all public domain. This is stated very clearly somewhere in the manual. Thus, all code you compile with gcc can be sold; code interfacing to gcc can not (i.e. if you build a Modula compiler using the GCC backend). The G++ library, libg++, is not public domain, and copy restrictions are associated with it.