Ethereal-users: [Ethereal-users] Am I violate GPL or not

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From: Nubar Kumar <nubarkumar@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2005 08:37:44 -0700 (PDT)
Hi,
I would like to ask a question about Ethereal license.
I hope this mailing list is the correct place for that since
I haven't found any dedicated mailing list for such questions.
If no, sorry and let me know where I can ask the following
question:
 
Ethereal includes the EPAN (Ethereal Protocol Analyser) module
along with number of plug-ins for protocols decoding. The EPAN
and plug-ins are distributed under GPL. Therefore I believe that
I cannot include the EPAN into my application and distribute my
application without its sources (correct me if I'm wrong).
 
Suppose I write the COM interface for the EPAN and make it
out of process server (it will be just an .exe file, separated
from my application). Of course this COM server will be distributed
under GPL (with sources, or even contributed to Ethereal).
Now in my program, I start this server and communicate with it
through the COM interface. Am I obliged to distribute my application
under GPL in this case?
 
The same question if I write a module above EPAN (GPL licensed)
that provides communications with it through pipe/loopback, so
my program is completely separated from GPLed code and communicates
with it through pipe or loopback interface. Do I have to distribute
my program under GLP now?
 

Thanks in advance for answers, and sorry again if this is a wrong place.
 
Nubar.


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