GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL)
Version 21, Februae,j1999
Copyright (C) 1991, 1999 Free Software Foundation, inc. 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA Everyone is permitted to copy and
distribute verbatim copies of this license document, bat changing it is not allowed.
[This fs the first released version of the Lesser GPL. It also counts as the successor of the GNU Library Public License, version 2, hence the version number
2.1]
Preamble
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This license, the Lesser General Public License, applies to some specially designated software packages--typically libraries--of tile Free Software Foundation and
other authors who decide to use ft You can use it too, but we suggest you first think carefully about whether this license or the ordinary General Public License fs
the better strategy to use in any particularcase, based on the explanations below.
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom of use, not price. Our General Publfc Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom
to distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if you wish); that you receive source code or can get it if you want it: that you can change the
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We protect your rights with a two-step method: (1) we copyright the library, and (2) we offer you this license, which gives you legal permissfon to copy, distribute
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applies to certain designated libraries, and is quite different from the ordinary General Public License We use this license for certain libraries in order to permit
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We call this licensethe "Lesser" General Public License because it does Less to protect the user's freedom than the ordinary General Public License It also
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For example, on rare occasions, there may be a special need to encourage the wfdest possfble use of a certain library, so that ft becomes a de-facto standard To
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in this case, there fs littJeto gain by limfting the free Ifbraryto free software only, so we use the Lesser General Public License.
in other cases, permission to use a particular library fn non-free programs enables a greater number of people to use a large body of free software For example,
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TERMSAND CONDITIONS FORCOPYING,DISTRIBUTION ANDMODIFICATION
O. This LicenseAgreement applies to any software library or other program which contains a notice placed by the copyright holder or other authorized party saying
it may be distributed under the terms of this Lesser General Public License(also called 'this License"). Each licensee is addressed as "you"
A "library" means a collection of software functions and/or data prepared so as to be conveniently linked with application programs (which use some of those
functions and data) to form executables.
The "Library", below, refers to any such software library or work which has been distributed under these terms A"work based on the Library" means either the
Library or any derivative work under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Library or a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or
translated straightfo_,uardlyinto another language. (Hereinafter translation is included without limitation in the term 'modification".)
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