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Really? I can do what I like with code under the GPL? i don't have to make derived source code available? This is surely news to me! "

"Derived", in a copyright law sense, means "a later work which includes parts of an earlier copyrighted work".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derivative_work



Any GPL code which you include in your work must remain GPL, as that is a condition of the license under which you may use the GPL code.

Since the GPL code you used is already public, where is the harm in your obligation to republish it as it appears in your derived work?

Please note, in the context of this thread, even this obligation is now removed for Qt. The LGPL license allows another program (i.e. another work) to include Qt functionality by linking to Qt libraries, without invoking the copy-left requirement to keep the source code open.

Edited 2009-01-14 12:04 UTC

So I am in fact not free to do whatever I want, such as license it under a BSD license. It's not about if there's any harm done or not, if it's fair or whatever. At the end of the day, I am not free to do "whatever I want". And that's by design but people should not say that it allows me to do whatever I want when it in fact does not.

You don't have to do anything with your code if you don't want to, but if you want to distribute your code then it's only fair you keep the same license that allowed you to accomplish your task.

If you don't like those rules, you're FREE to not use GPL code and FREE to do the hell you like, so what's the problem?

So in the end I am not free to do whatever I want.



Oh, so it's just like any product that you are not forced to use? I dont' have to use Windows, does that mean the MS license is freedom? This is some assbackwards reasoning, mate.

I have no problem with the GPL but don't say you're free to do whatever you want with code licensed under it because you aren't.

Really? I can do what I like with code under the GPL? i don't have to make derived source code available? This is surely news to me! "

Actually you CAN. you can do what you like to any GPL licensed code and even keep the changes to yourself - so long as you do not DISTRIBUTE it. The GPL only applies to distribution, not to how you yourself use the licensed work.