What files do I need to distribute if you need the LGPL app in the iPhone app?

Question

I am working on an iPhone application that uses the Zbar library, which is under the LGPL license. I would like to know what I need to give someone if they request a copy of the code under this license for my iPhone application?

I was told that they are in the build folder, and that they are .o files. I found some of them in the armv6 and armv7 folders along with LinkFileList and what looks like a terminal application with my application name. I use the library directly in one of my source files, one of my UIViewControllers.

Can someone tell me if I need to send all these files or just specific ones? I also referred to the communication team in the journal, but I don't know where it is.

Thank.

Answer 1

I am sure there is no way to comply with the LGPL standard with the iPhone. Some projects with LGPL make a special offer for the iPhone.

Here are my thoughts (but I'm not an expert or a lawyer). The goal of LGPL is that you can create commercial products that use an open source library if the user can only update the library and your program will use it. This is the reason for most of the provisions, and they require a dynamic link to the library to guarantee this.

But Apple does not allow dynamic communication in iPhone applications other than the built-in libraries - if you try to use .dylib, you will be rejected. Moreover, even if you can use dylib, the end user will not be able to update it, since the source does not make it good.

A few more discussions here:

Which open source licenses are compatible with the Apple iPhone and its official App Store?

In accordance with what I see, you will need to make all .o files created from your source accessible - I still think that this may not meet all the requirements, because there is no way for the end user to get them on the iPhone, if they do not have a developer license.

If you think that there are enough .o files, you should provide them all, and not just the one that uses the library - they should have everything they need to replace the library - therefore, for non-dynamic communication, they need all .o files for applications.

Update: I talk about it here.

http://www.loufranco.com/blog/files/lgpl-and-the-iphone.html

I wrote GNU for clarification, but I believe that in terms of Apple it is implied that the LGPL cannot be used (since they accuse someone of really doing the update and the license does not require any fee for exercising rights).