Re: [Tinycc-devel] Using TinyCC with GPL

[Rob Landley]

On Sunday 15 June 2008 22:36:48 KHMan wrote:
> Ivo is right. Please read Yann Renard's original post again.

Ah, I thought he was talking about libtcc.h instead of tcclib.h.  (I found 
those names _deeply_ confusing and renamed them both.  In my version the code 
generation library header is libtinycc.h and the script #include is 
include/tinyinc.h.  Takes a bit more work to confuse 'em.)

No, hang on, he _was_ talking about the script #include:

> I'm thinking of using Tiny CC to include C as a scripting language for a
> software I'm currently working on. But I'm not a licence expert, so I
> got in licence consideration. Using TinyCC as a scripting lanquage will
> most probably use of the <tcclib.h>. I mean the script code uses the
> <tcclib.h>. As TinyCC is GPL, should the created scripts become GPL also ?

I just checked it in the repository and tcclib.h is the one you #include from 
the script to avoid needing stdio.h and friends.  libtcc.h is the one you 
#include to use the code generator.  (Just triple-checked to be sure, because 
I honestly can't keep 'em straight.)

Either way, if he's linking gpl code into his app, obviously the gpl applies.  
If he's just calling a gpl executable, it doesn't affect his script any more 
than using bash (GPL) to run a shell script would make the shell script GPL.  

Including a header to make use of a documented API doesn't make his script 
GPL; all the symbols it exports are all standard symbols (C99 in this case).  
The only thing we could possibly copyright is their selection and 
organization, and the file has a comment inviting them to add their own and 
users don't care what order they occur in inside the header, so that's 
actually pretty clear from a derived work standpoint.

> Please correct me if I am wrong.

I'm not sure you are, but I'm not interested in pursuing the thread.  (I 
haven't been paying close attention to this list, just saw my name mentioned.  
Wouldn't have replied otherwise.)

I'll wander off again...

Rob
-- 
"One of my most productive days was throwing away 1000 lines of code."
  - Ken Thompson.