GPL tools and proprietary software

[Pete Buechler]

On Friday 08 December 2000 01:17 pm, Smith, Stephen P  (AZ75) wrote:
> Is there a position paper anywhere on the use of GPL tool (ex: gcc) 
> and proprietary code.  For instance, can I use gcc to compile a
> proprietary c++ file and have the output be proprietary or is the
> output GPL'ed

If you use gcc to compile code, you have not effected it in any way. 
You can make it proprietary or whatever you want. A more interesting 
question is what about the library to which you link your code. If the 
library is GPL, then you are incorporating GPL code into yours, and 
hence you must make it GPL. Because of this, the lesser GPL, or LGPL, 
was developed. It makes a special exception that you can link LGPL code 
into your proporietary code.

A position paper with more infomation can be found at:
http://www.hecker.org/writings/setting-up-shop.html

-- 
Pete Buechler
Developer, SuSE Labs
peterb@suse.com
http://www.suse.com/~peterb