License question

[Pete Nordquist]

I read the following on
http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin/faq/faq_1.html#SEC4

In particular, if you intend to port a proprietary (non-GPL'd)
application using Cygwin, you will need the proprietary-use license for
the Cygwin library. This is available for purchase; please visit
http://www.redhat.com/software/tools/cygwin/ for more information. All
other questions should be sent to the project mailing list
cygwin@cygwin.com. 

I don't understand how Redhat can release libcygwin.a under a
proprietary license for customers to use to produce proprietary code.
Isn't customer code produced using the proprietary version of
libcygwin.a also statically linked with gcclib, which is licensed under
the GPL? 

The description given in http://www.redhat.com/software/tools/cygwin/
sounds to me like it is possible to link GPL'ed libraries with
proprietary customer code.  My understanding is that such linking is not
legally possible.

Could someone explain this seeming contradiction to me?

Thank you,

Pete Nordquist
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Southern Oregon University
nordquip@sou.edu
541/552-6148





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