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Re: GSL within Public Domain Software


Lowell Johnson wrote:

> Our team develops image analysis software for the USGS.
> For many years this software has made use of mathematical routines
> that have been extracted from various public domain packages
> as well as some "home-grown" algorithms.
> Now we are trying to incorporate available open source libraries
> to a larger extent.
> 
> My past experience led me to first consider LAPACK and FFTPACK.
> But we only need a small portion of LAPACK's capability,
> and it doesn't cover many of the additional numerical methods we apply.
> 
> Last week I came across the GSL and thought that,
> even though it is in the development stage,
> it will cover a large portion of our requirements
> for a general purpose numerical library.
> In addition the GSL is lightweight compared with the likes of LAPACK,
> so it is not asking so much to expect our external users to build it.
> 
> The question is,
> "Since our software is from the government (public domain),
> what are the legalities of linking with a GPL'ed library?"
> We distribute both the source code and binaries
> (for supported platforms).  I understand the GPL concerns
> regarding proprietary software using GPL libraries,
> but since public domain software is source distributed,
> it seems that the intent of the GPL is fairly covered.
> 
> We will have to discuss the situation with government officials as well,
> but I wanted to give you people a chance to respond first.
> I have read the GPL/LGPL discussions, so I understand those concerns.
> But it would be unfortunate
> if we have to abandon incorporation of the GSL due to GPL restrictions.

Unfortunately, the GSL is distributed under the GPL instead of the LGPL.
If your software uses the GSL
then you will be obliged to distribute it under the terms of the GPL
which, if I understand you correctly, you cannot do.

If the GSL was distributed under the LGPL instead,
your software could use it and still be distributed in the public domain.
Of course, any changes that you made to the GSL itself
wound need to be distributed under the terms of the LGPL.


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