The PLplot Plotting Library: Programmer's Reference Manual
Prev | Chapter 1. Introduction | Next

# Copyrights

The PLplot package may be distributed under the following terms:

        This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
        modify it under the terms of the GNU Library General Public
        License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
        version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

        This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
        but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
        MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
        Library General Public License for more details.

        You should have received a copy of the GNU Library General Public
        License along with this library; if not, write to the Free
        Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

The text of this license is given in the file COPYING.LIB in the distribution directory. Exceptions are noted below.

The intent behind distributing PLplot under the LGPL is to ensure that it continues to evolve in a positive way, while remaining freely distributable. Note in particular that either open-source or proprietary code can be linked to LGPLed code such as PLplot, see the interpretation here. Full details of the LGPL are given here.

## Additional Copyrights

The startup code used in argument handling (`utils/plrender.c` and `src/plargs.c`) is partially derived from `xterm.c` of the X11R5 distribution, and its copyright is reproduced here:

    ******************************************************************************
    Copyright 1987, 1988 by Digital Equipment Corporation, Maynard,
    Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge,
    Massachusetts.

                            All Rights Reserved

    Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its
    documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted,
    provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that
    both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in
    supporting documentation, and that the names of Digital or MIT not be
    used in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the
    software without specific, written prior permission.

    DIGITAL DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE, INCLUDING
    ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS, IN NO EVENT SHALL
    DIGITAL BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR
    ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS,
    WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION,
    ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS
    SOFTWARE.
    ******************************************************************************

Any file that is explicitly marked as "public domain" is free from any restriction on distribution.

Any file that has a explicit copyright notice may be distributed under the terms of both the LGPL and whatever stated conditions accompany the copyright.

Prev | Home | Next
Organization of this Manual | Up | Credits