[Haskell-cafe] Re: Utility functions

[Simon Marlow]

On 06 January 2005 12:20, Ketil Malde wrote:

> "Simon Marlow" <simonmar at microsoft.com> writes:
> 
>> There are already a couple of bits of (L)GPL under fptools: GMP and
>> readline.  GMP we'd like to replace because it is necessarily a part
>> of every compiled Haskell program; readline isn't so important but
>> it would be nice to have a BSD-licensed replacement.
> 
> Readline is GPL and GMP LGPL, aren't they?

Yes.

> So GMP only restricts
> what you can do with modifications to that library (and thus only
> affects developers who want to release a modified GHC without source),
> while linking with readline will potentially affect regular users of
> GHC.

Strictly speaking you have to dynamically link GMP to avoid your program
being affected by the LGPL.  Most GHC installations use a dynamically
linked GMP, but some do not.

Readline's license affects GHC (because GHC itself links with it), but
it doesn't affect programs you compile with GHC unless you explicitly
request the readline package (unlike GMP, which is always linked in).

Cheers,
	Simon