[Python-Dev] Optionally using GMP to implement long if available (original) (raw)

skip at pobox.com skip at pobox.com
Tue Nov 4 01:37:29 CET 2008 

Benjamin> The main objection is that GMP is licensed under LGPL which I
Benjamin> believe conflicts with Python's very open license.

>> If GMP itself isn't included with Python how can there be a licensing
>> issue?

Martin> On Windows, the GMP binaries would be incorporated into
Martin> pythonxy.dll.  This would force anybody providing a copy of
Martin> pythonxy.dll to also provide the sources of GMP.

As I understand it the proposal was to allow people to substitute GMP for Python's long implementation. Just deliver binaries with the Python long version if you don't want to distribute the GMP source. OTOH, it should be no big deal to drop a zip archive of the GMP sources which correspond to the code bound into the DLL. OTOOH, doesn't Windows support dynamic linking? Can't pythonxy.dll dynamically link to a gmpMN.dll?

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