From: "M. Schulter" Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp Subject: Re: DJGPP Date: 2 Oct 1997 18:48:09 GMT Organization: Value Net Internetwork Services Inc. Lines: 35 Message-ID: <610q99$j8f$1@vnetnews.value.net> References: <01bccedd$f8d16ce0$b1ea0cd1 AT default> NNTP-Posting-Host: value.net To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp Precedence: bulk Robert McNulty wrote: : What does Delorie mean by Free Compiler? Do I have to pay money to use it : or is it freedom in using it? Please let me begin by directing you to Section 19 of the DJGPP FAQ, which discusses legal aspects of DJGPP in some detail. You raise an interesting question about the double meaning of "free," which can refer either to price (or lack thereof) or freedom of use. Generally speaking, DJGPP is "free" in both senses, both with some very important cautions that the FAQ covers. For example, if you use certain GNU libraries, then your program would come under the GNU Library General Public License (LGPL), designed to insure that source or object code for your program is freely available to anyone using your program, so that they relink the program with later versions of the library. Similarly, if you use contributed libraries such as Allegro, GRX, JPTUI, etc., then you should check the conditions for use established by the author(s) of each library. Also, if you wish to redistribute DJGPP itself, there are some important conditions and cautions discussed in the FAQ. These protections are designed, for example, to be sure that the people who worked on DJGPP get fair credit, and also to be sure that DJGPP users know where to get the latest version. Let me conclude by saying that DJGPP is a fine model of what free software development can achieve. Most appreciatively, Margo Schulter mschulter AT value DOT net