What good is VNC's GPL?

[Kyle McDonald]

Yury Averkiev wrote:
> So called "Bob Smith" you have been told already that the control is a wrapper
> (set of hooks around TightVNC files) - so it doesn't violetes GPL.

Is the tightVNC (or other GPL) code linked together in the same 
DLL with your new 'wrapper' code??

Did you have to edit any tightVNC (or other GPL) code to create a 
DLL version of tightVNC?

If the answer to either of these questions is 'yes' then I'm sorry 
to inform you that your product *does* violate the GPL.

If your code is in a seperate DLL from the the tightVNC (and other 
GPL) code, then you *might* (I'm not lawyer ;) ) have an argument. 
I think that would still require you to release any and all edits 
you made to any tightVNC and other GPL source code files while you 
were turning it into a DLL. (Does TightVNC provide a DLL already?)

Note: you actually need to release all the changed tightvnc files, 
diffs and patches aren't enough - at least the last time I checked.

Also even to release your product in that fashion, tightVNC (and 
the other code it includes) might (I'm not sure) actually need to 
be licensed under the LGPL not the GPL by the copyright holder to 
the public, and I doubt any of the VNC code has ever been licensed 
with the LGPL.

There are alot of people in this world who like the GPL very much, 
many beleive in it like a religion, and are very vehement in it's 
enforcement. These people take alot of stands based just on the 
principal of the thing. Many can be very vocal. I wouldn't assume 
that someone who asks these questions is anyone in particular, or 
is out to get you.

Complying with the GPL tends to get you much better press and 
relations than thumbing your nose at it. That will get you a huge 
amount of really *bad* press.

Personally I think the GPL has problems, I wouldn't use it on code 
I invent, and I can't stand the way Richard Stallman (the author 
of the GPL) thinks or speaks. But I personally am for all the 
rules and licenses to be obeyed and enforced.

So I'm interested in the answers to those 2 questions (and then I 
may have more) and I'm interested to see how this whole thing 
turns out.

	-Kyle


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