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52
APPENDIX
for the free library. Also, if the library is
modified by someone else and passed
on, the recipients should know that what
they have is not the original version, so
that the original author’s reputation will
not be affected by problems that might be
introduced by others.
Finally, software patents pose a constant
threat to the existence of any free program.
We wish to make sure that a company
cannot effectively restrict the users of a
free program by obtaining a restrictive
license from a patent holder. Therefore, we
insist that any patent license obtained for
a version of the library must be consistent
with the full freedom of use specified in
this license.
Most GNU software, including some
libraries, is covered by the ordinary GNU
General Public License. This license,
the GNU Lesser General Public License,
applies to certain designated libraries, and
is quite different from the ordinary General
Public License. We use this license for
certain libraries in order to permit linking
those libraries into non-free programs.
When a program is linked with a library,
whether statically or using a shared library,
the combination of the two is legally
speaking a combined work, a derivative of
the original library. The ordinary General
Public License therefore permits such
linking only if the entire combination fits
its criteria of freedom. The Lesser General
Public License permits more lax criteria for
linking other code with the library.
We call this license the “Lesser” General
Public License because it does Less
to protect the user’s freedom than the
ordinary General Public License. It also
provides other free software developers
Less of an advantage over competing
non-free programs. These disadvantages
are the reason we use the ordinary General
Public License for many libraries. However,
the Lesser license provides advantages in
certain special circumstances.
For example, on rare occasions, there may
be a special need to encourage the widest
possible use of a certain library, so that it
becomes a de-facto standard. To achieve
this, non-free programs must be allowed
to use the library. A more frequent case
is that a free library does the same job as
widely used non-free libraries. In this case,
there is little to gain by limiting the free
library to free software only, so we use the
Lesser General Public License.
In other cases, permission to use a
particular library in non-free programs
enables a greater number of people to use
a large body of free software. For example,
permission to use the GNU C Library in
non-free programs enables many more
people to use the whole GNU operating
system, as well as its variant, the GNU/
Linux operating system.
Although the Lesser General Public
License is Less protective of the users’
freedom, it does ensure that the user of a
program that is linked with the Library has
the freedom and the wherewithal to run
that program using a modified versionof
the Library.
The precise terms and conditions for
copying, distribution and modification
follow. Pay close attention to the difference
between a “work based on the library” and
a “work that uses the library”. The former
contains code derived from the library,
whereas the latter must be combined with
the library in order to run.
GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC
LICENSE
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING,
DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
0. This license agreement applies to any
software library or other program which
contains a notice placed by the copyright
holder or other authorized party saying
it may be distributed under the terms
of this Lesser General Public License
(also called “this license”). Each license
is addressed as “you”.
A “library” means a collection of
software functions and/or data prepared
so as to be conveniently linked with
application programs (which use some
of those functions and data) to form
executables.
The “Library”, below, refers to any such
software library or work which has been
distributed under these terms. A “work
based on the Library” means either the
Library or any derivative work under
copyright law: that is to say, a work
containing the library or a portion of it,
either verbatim or with modifications
and/or translated straightforwardly
into another language. (Hereinafter,
translation is included without limitation
in the term “modification”.)
“Source code” for a work means the
preferred form of the work for making
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