On Thursday 01 Jan 2009 2:00:14 am Praveen A wrote:
2008/12/31 Kenneth Gonsalves lawgon@au-kbc.org:
as far as I know, QT is some sort of toolkit which is used to build applications (I may be wrong). The question is: when I build an application using QT, am I modifying QT? Am I creating a derivative work of QT? If so, I have to release the code under GPL. If not why should I release it under GPL? Next some one will say that all code created using GNU C compiler has to be released under GPL. Or if I use the linux develop software I have to release
Would your application work without QT? You need QT+your code to make your application work. You don't need GNU C compiler for your built code to work, you will need GNU C library (glibc). But glibc is under LGPL. If glibc were under GPL, what you say will be correct. I think the confusion is because we are not used to many GPLed libraries and assume libraries can't be GPL.
anyway, one good thing is that I have now learned the difference between GPL and LGPL (I was under the impression that LGPL meant Lesser GPL - something that is not so strict as GPL). I was vaguely contemplating switching from wxPython to pyQT - now I realise how dangerous that is. Lesson: before using a library, make sure it is not under GPL.