Re:AndEngine - Free Android 2D OpenGL Game Engine
by theBobMcCormick on Saturday July 24, 2010 @10:08PM
(#1544800)
I thought the LGPL required you to allow the user to update the library to a newer version (usually accomplished by making it a dynamically linked shared library). Near as I can tell, Android doesn't yet support user installed shared libraries. Does this mean the engine is only usable from GPL and LGPL Android apps?
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:AndEngine - Free Android 2D OpenGL Game Engine
by _delirium on Sunday July 25, 2010 @12:33AM
(#1544977)
The LGPL doesn't require in-place modifiability, just that a user could build a working binary from a newer version of the LGPL'd library and your binary, along with appropriate dev tools and assuming no interfaces have changed. For statically linked C code, the LGPL suggests providing a linkable object file (.o) that the user can use to relink against newer versions of the library. I think that's already the case with Java apps by default, though, because a user can just dump new versions of the library's .jars in to your app, overwriting the old version. Even if you've slurped everything up into one big .jar, they can still extract the new .class files into the .jar, overwriting the old ones. Then they sign the app with their own key and install it on their phone.
In practice though most LGPL-software authors don't even seem aware of this clause (I wasn't until recently) and aren't inclined to enforce it. A bunch of LGPL game libraries, like Ogre3d, have explicitly added a "you can statically link with no hassles" exception, to formalize that understanding. Might be a good idea here?
Re:AndEngine - Free Android 2D OpenGL Game Engine
by theBobMcCormick on Sunday July 25, 2010 @09:41PM
(#1546840)
I think it'd be a good idea to explicitly state it, but you know, it's up to you.
Re:AndEngine - Free Android 2D OpenGL Game Engine
by aaronblohowiak on Sunday July 25, 2010 @12:01AM
(#1544931)
I meant to upvote you, and missed the up arrow. Sorry.