diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/ChangeLog | 6 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/gettext.texi | 30 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/nls.texi | 12 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | m4/gettext.m4 | 10 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | m4/lcmessage.m4 | 10 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | m4/progtest.m4 | 10 |
6 files changed, 50 insertions, 28 deletions
diff --git a/doc/ChangeLog b/doc/ChangeLog index 79b89dd..7f4d6fe 100644 --- a/doc/ChangeLog +++ b/doc/ChangeLog @@ -1,3 +1,9 @@ +2001-09-08 Bruno Haible <haible@clisp.cons.org> + + * gettext.texi (Discussions): Rewrote the paragraph about GPL. + * nls.texi (Using gettext in own code): Adapt for libintl license + change. + 2001-08-13 Bruno Haible <haible@clisp.cons.org> * gettext.texi (YCP): New node. diff --git a/doc/gettext.texi b/doc/gettext.texi index 6c9b109..0d0680a 100644 --- a/doc/gettext.texi +++ b/doc/gettext.texi @@ -4660,21 +4660,29 @@ many people liking their mother tongue. This is why translations are better achieved by people knowing and loving their own language, and ready to work together at improving the results they obtain. -@item Dependencies over the GPL +@item Dependencies over the GPL or LGPL -Some people wonder if using GNU @code{gettext} necessarily brings their package -under the protective wing of the GNU General Public License, when they -do not want to make their program free, or want other kinds of freedom. -The simplest answer is yes. +Some people wonder if using GNU @code{gettext} necessarily brings their +package under the protective wing of the GNU General Public License or +the GNU Library General Public License, when they do not want to make +their program free, or want other kinds of freedom. The simplest +answer is ``normally not''. + +The GNU @code{gettext} library, i.e. the contents of @code{libintl}, +is covered by the GNU Library General Public License. The rest of +the GNU @code{gettext} package is covered by the GNU General Public +License. The mere marking of localizable strings in a package, or conditional inclusion of a few lines for initialization, is not really including -GPL'ed code. However, the localization routines themselves are under -the GPL and would bring the remainder of the package under the GPL -if they were distributed with it. So, I presume that, for those -for which this is a problem, it could be circumvented by letting to -the end installers the burden of assembling a package prepared for -localization, but not providing the localization routines themselves. +GPL'ed or LGPL'ed code. However, since the localization routines in +@code{libintl} are under the LGPL, the LGPL needs to be considered. +It gives the right to distribute the complete unmodified source of +@code{libintl} even with non-free programs. It also gives the right +to use @code{libintl} as a shared library, even for non-free programs. +But it gives the right to use @code{libintl} as a static library or +to incorporate @code{libintl} into another library only to free +software. @end itemize diff --git a/doc/nls.texi b/doc/nls.texi index fdc1117..38f400d 100644 --- a/doc/nls.texi +++ b/doc/nls.texi @@ -228,11 +228,13 @@ up-to-date matrix with full percentage details can be found at @node Using gettext in own code @section Using @code{gettext} in new packages -If you are writing a freely available program and want to -internationalize it you are welcome to use GNU @file{gettext} in your -package. Of course the GNU General Public License applies to your sources -from then on if you include @code{gettext} directly in your distribution but -since you are writing free software anyway this is no restriction. +If you are writing a freely available program and want to internationalize +it you are welcome to use GNU @file{gettext} in your package. Of course +you have to respect the GNU Library General Public License which covers +the use of the GNU @file{gettext} library. This means in particular that +even non-free programs can use @code{libintl} as a shared library, whereas +only free software can use @code{libintl} as a static library or use +modified versions of @code{libintl}. Once the sources are changed appropriately and the setup can handle to use of @code{gettext} the only thing missing are the translations. The diff --git a/m4/gettext.m4 b/m4/gettext.m4 index 1b3a59f..3a882a5 100644 --- a/m4/gettext.m4 +++ b/m4/gettext.m4 @@ -3,10 +3,12 @@ # # This file can be copied and used freely without restrictions. It can # be used in projects which are not available under the GNU General Public -# License but which still want to provide support for the GNU gettext -# functionality. -# Please note that the actual code of GNU gettext is covered by the GNU -# General Public License and is *not* in the public domain. +# License or the GNU Library General Public License but which still want +# to provide support for the GNU gettext functionality. +# Please note that the actual code of the GNU gettext library is covered +# by the GNU Library General Public License, and the rest of the GNU +# gettext package package is covered by the GNU General Public License. +# They are *not* in the public domain. # serial 10 diff --git a/m4/lcmessage.m4 b/m4/lcmessage.m4 index acfd3ac..18d47a9 100644 --- a/m4/lcmessage.m4 +++ b/m4/lcmessage.m4 @@ -3,10 +3,12 @@ # # This file can be copied and used freely without restrictions. It can # be used in projects which are not available under the GNU General Public -# License but which still want to provide support for the GNU gettext -# functionality. -# Please note that the actual code of GNU gettext is covered by the GNU -# General Public License and is *not* in the public domain. +# License or the GNU Library General Public License but which still want +# to provide support for the GNU gettext functionality. +# Please note that the actual code of the GNU gettext library is covered +# by the GNU Library General Public License, and the rest of the GNU +# gettext package package is covered by the GNU General Public License. +# They are *not* in the public domain. # serial 2 diff --git a/m4/progtest.m4 b/m4/progtest.m4 index 08840d5..35dc3da 100644 --- a/m4/progtest.m4 +++ b/m4/progtest.m4 @@ -3,10 +3,12 @@ # # This file can be copied and used freely without restrictions. It can # be used in projects which are not available under the GNU General Public -# License but which still want to provide support for the GNU gettext -# functionality. -# Please note that the actual code of GNU gettext is covered by the GNU -# General Public License and is *not* in the public domain. +# License or the GNU Library General Public License but which still want +# to provide support for the GNU gettext functionality. +# Please note that the actual code of the GNU gettext library is covered +# by the GNU Library General Public License, and the rest of the GNU +# gettext package package is covered by the GNU General Public License. +# They are *not* in the public domain. # serial 2 |