On Tuesday, October 30, 2001, at 01:26  PM, goran.hultgren at bluefish.se 
wrote:

>> One thing I know is that LGPL allows linking with non-LGPL programs, 
>> but
>> GPL does not.  It's a good thing that GNU libc (the one that Linux 
>> uses)
>> is LGPL, because if it was GPL it would be illegal to compile non-GNU C
>> programs on Linux!  It's unclear where Squeak images would fall here --
>> is loading Smalltalk code into Squeak "linking", or is it making a
>> derivative of the base image?  Blah, let's be happy we're not using one
>> of these licenses and so don't have to decide.  :)
>
> The question on how the image works in this is very much open I guess.

Not open in practice, given RMS' construction of the GPL.  GPL's 
interaction with a monolithic image is completely viral in his view.

Indeed, one could theoretically litigate the "open" question, at great 
cost and expense.  The upside of being right is you get to use the 
software for free.  The downside of being wrong is you are liable under 
the Copyright Act for actual damages, statutory damages (from $500 to 
$50K, within the jury's unreviewable discretion), penalties for willful 
damages, perhaps (up to $100K, within the judge or jury's discretion), 
and significantly, an award of attorney fees.

One would be insane to risk litigating that issue merely because it is 
"very much open," given that the cost of licensing comparable software 
is tiny compared to the liability downside, even discounted by the 
reasonable expectation of success.