Subject: Re: [boost] Can a Boost library use a component like GMP and mfpr that have a LGPL license ?
From: Simonson, Lucanus J (lucanus.j.simonson_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-03-23 14:16:01
Sebastian Redl wrote:
> Simonson, Lucanus J wrote:
>> Sebastian Redl wrote:
>>
>>> My company, for example, would be interested in the BGL, but quite
>>> unable to include an LGPL library, since our copy protection
>>> mechanism kills the application if it detects a debugger. This
>>> would be a license violation. (We probably wouldn't need bignum
>>> functionality. As long as the BGL can be used without the bignum
>>> libraries, we'd probably be happy.)
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Huh, they basically exclude copy protection in the terms of their
>> license?
> They require that it is still possible to debug the LGPLed library in
> the context of the combined work. If there's a debugger killer as part
> of the copy protection (and every effective CP needs one), that's
> obviously not possible.
>> I didn't trust the LGPL when I read it because it was obviously
>> written by a lawyer. Did you mean GTL and type BGL by mistake?
>>
> Yes. I typed BGL for Boost Geometry Library. Isn't one of the geometry
> libraries called that?
I think it's called ggl, generic geometry library. Boost geometry library would be confusing.
>> Ideally I'd like to eliminate dependence on big-num for robustness,
>> for performance reasons if not license concerns, but this requires
>> some fancy programming. For instance, the degree-2 predicate of
>> slope comparison requires 65 bits when the input is 32 bit
>> coordinates.
> I'm fairly certain that I don't need that. So it's a question of how
> modular the library is.
>
Well, I have no explicit dependency on big num, just provide the ability to override non-robust arithmetic by specifying a big num data type. I have no direct code dependency on any external library, only the stl.
What features of a geometry library do you need? I'm always interested to know so that I can focus on the pieces that are (will be) used the most. You can tell me off list if you prefer not to advertise this information.
Thanks,
Luke