I'll write to the FSF and get their position on the matter. As mentioned earlier, the answer would apply not only to APRUTIL, but to Python and Perl, too (plus N other projects).
FWIW, Manoj pointed this out to me this morning. -- justin
<http://www.artifex.com/downloads/gs/doc/Make.htm#GNU_readline>
"However, even though the GPL allows linking GPLed code (such as the GNU readline library package) with non-GPLed code (such as all the rest of AFPL Ghostscript) if one doesn't distribute the result, the Free Software Foundation, creators of the GPL, have told us that in their opinion, the GPL forbids distributing non-GPLed code that is merely intended to be linked with GPLed code. We understand that FSF takes this position in order to prevent the construction of software that is partly GPLed and partly not GPLed, even though the text of the GPL does not actually forbid this (it only forbids distribution of such software). We think that FSF's position is legally questionable and not in the best interest of users, but we do not have the resources to challenge it, especially since FSF's attorney apparently supports it."
