Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!pacbell!ames!bionet!agate!ucbvax!husc6!contact!umb!karl
From: karl@umb.umb.edu (Karl Berry.)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: GNU runtime libraries.
Message-ID: <878@umb.umb.edu>
Date: 8 Aug 89 22:37:22 GMT
Organization: UMASS-Boston, Boston, MA
Lines: 24


How many times must it be said?

The only ``runtime library'' currently being distributed
is gnulib (and gnulib2), which are arithmetic (and other
similar low-level operations) for gcc.  gnulib and gnulib2
are not copylefted, because the routines are so small, there
is no question of code derivation.  (Anyway, it doesn't
really matter what the reason is; they're not copylefted.)

When the standard C runtime library is released, it
will most likely be copylefted, and programs linked
with that will be considered GNU-derived, and so will
be subject to the copyleft.  But it is not released now,
so most of this discussion is strictly hypothetical.

Perhaps the copyleft is legal; perhaps it isn't.  If you
are concerned about its legality, you should consult a lawyer,
not the net.  If you think copylefting software is wrong,
that's your prerogative, but there is no need to state your
opinion again; it has been expressed many times in the last
few weeks.

karl@umb.edu   ...!harvard!umb!karl