The GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) is a free software license that allows programs to be used by any program, including proprietary ones. OpenOffice.org is an example of a program created using the LGPL. The LGPL is a copyleft license, which allows anyone to reprogram, distribute, or adapt the software without seeking permission from the original creator. It cannot be a lax license and is not permissive like the MIT or PHP licenses.
The GNU Lesser General Public License is a free software license published by the Free Software Foundation, or FSF. It is an alternative to both traditional copyright, which some consider too restrictive, and the original GNU General Public License, which others consider too permissive. The GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), first published in 1999, differs from the GNU General Public License, or GPL, in several ways. The most important difference is that programs licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License can be accessed or used by any program, including copyrighted proprietary programs. Software licensed under the traditional GPL may only be used or linked by other free software.
OpenOffice.org is an example of a program created using the GNU Lesser Public License. The office suite is distributed free of charge as an alternative to Microsoft Office and uses its own file formats and extensions. However OpenOffice.org can also read and open most Microsoft Office files and can save files in formats compatible with Microsoft Office. This interaction with proprietary software is the key to the GNU Lesser General Public License. An example of a program licensed under the traditional GNU GPL would be Audacity. This free audio editor cannot interact with any proprietary audio format such as WMA (Windows Media Audio). Only other open source audio formats, such as WAV, OGG and AIFF are compatible with the program.
The GNU Lesser General Public License is an example of a copyleft. A copyleft is in conflict with a copyright. Copyrights exist to ensure that no one can distribute, copy or adapt the program. Copyleft licenses allow anyone to reprogram, distribute, or adapt the software under the license without having to pay or seek permission from the original creator. There are many free software licenses, but not all of them are true copyleft licenses.
To be considered a copyleft license, the free software license must meet certain requirements. The most important of these is that it cannot be a lax license. This means that it cannot allow reuse of licensed software from proprietary or copyrighted software. Examples of permissive licenses include the MIT license or the PHP license. Neither the GNU GPL nor the GNU Lesser General Public License are permissive licenses. Any software created under such licenses may not be modified to be included in software with a more restrictive software license. For example, someone can’t take the code used to build OpenOffice.org, modify it, and place it under traditional copyright.
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