> Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2025 05:23:50 -0700 (PDT) > Cc: gcc@gcc.gnu.org, jwakely....@gmail.com, qifan.z...@xpeedic.com > From: ken...@adacore.com (Richard Kenner) > > > I don't see how distributing in the same tarball would solve the > > problem. > > > > Suppose I'd decide to distribute a Windows build of Emacs together > > with GNU Grep (e.g., because MS-Windows systems don't come with Grep > > OOTB, whereas Emacs users need Grep for several of its features). I > > would then make a single tarball including both Emacs- and > > Grep-related files. Does that mean that I'm not under an obligation > > to provide source code of _both_ Emacs and Grep? I don't think so. > > That has nothing to do with the issue here. We're talking about the > GCC Runtime Exception.
No, we are talking about distributing the 2 shared libraries with the program. They are separate files, so their distribution falls under GPL. > It says that "You have permission to propagate a work of Target Code > formed by combining the Runtime Library with Independent Modules, even > if such propagation would otherwise violate the terms of GPLv3". > > The tarball I was talking about is precisely that "work of Target Code". > But I think it could be separate files and still be one "work" as > long as they're distributed together in some way. AFAIU, having the shared libraries in separate files means they are not "combined" with the program's code. That's how I understand what RMS told me back then, in the quote that I brought up. And if you still disagree, please take it up with RMS, or with the FSF lawyers, or both. My sole purpose in chiming into this thread was to convey something I learned years ago; if the ruling has changed in the years that passed since then, I'll be happy to learn about that. Otherwise, I have nothing more to add to this discussion.
