SharpDevelop Community

I am making a MDI text editor, and want to use ICSharpCode.TextEditor.DLL for the texteditor. That being said, I have a couple questions...

1. How can I add the control to VS 2005 Pro so I can drag and drop it on a form like I can any other control?

2. Can I rename the DLL to "something else".DLL, or does the utilization, and/or even the licensing, require that the name remain unchanged?

Thanks for any assistance,
Hostopolis 

You did read the license coming with the dll? It is a plain LGPL.

Simply put - you can link against it if you want to use it in closed source. If you modify it in any way - renaming does count - you will need to make it available again under the same license. This btw also entails that should you use the code or parts of it in another dll or app, that would need to be licensed under the same license yet again.

Just the modified code, or my app as well?

And, CAN it be renamed and still function correctly? 

I suggest you follow Bernhards advice first: 

You did read the license coming with the dll? It is a plain LGPL.

What it says there in short is the following:

You're free to use the library as it is. So if u just link to the dll and use it like that, in other words: just reference it without any modification or without importing the code directly, you can use it at will. No name changes are allowed here (fairly obvious, because that's a modification).

If, on the other hand, you modify the dll in any way, you're obliged to publish the modificated dll (including sourcecode and license!!!) under the same license as the original. To spell it out: the modificated dll and the new sourcecode fall under the LGPL in that case.

That goes too for any derived work based on the code in the dll. So when u use the sourcecode of the dll inside in another application, or parts of it, or any modification based on that code, the application becomes a derived work. In other words: you're obliged to publish that application (again, including sourcecode and license) under the LGPL.

Failing to do so is breaking the license, which is protected by copyright laws. Those have a strong legislation history in almost any country, so I advice you NOT to attempt that. After all, if a company like IBM releases under the LGPL, you can bet it's a reliable and well-protected license.

I can't help u with the working of the dll under another name. But that's easely checked: link to it from a demo application and try it out. Quite frankly why it's so important to change the name is beyond me. But beware: if it does then your application has to be published under the LGPL. And maybe it's just a hunch, but I feel that's not exactly what u want.

I may be off a little bit on the details (after all, I'm no lawyer), but the guidelines above shouldn't bring you into trouble. Better to be safe than sorry. I hope your questions are answered now.

PS.: if I'm really off I'd like to be corrected off course. 

If you modify the library, you have to publish the (modified) library's source code under the LGPL. (Actually, as I read the LGPL, even if you don't modify it you have to publish the unmodified source code; or offer anyone that gets the libraries binary from you to receive the source code)

No matter whether you modify the library or not, the rest of your application does NOT have to be open-sourced.

It still should be kept in mind that incorporating the source code of the editor control or portions of it into some code of your own (e.g. along the lines of "I need only this part of it, not the full monty" or "I really need to extend it and don't wnt to ship a lot of dlls with my app") will require you to put the entire code containing the editor control code needs to be released under the LGPL.

Linking against the binary is fine. 

Hi Daniel and Bernhard,

I admit that I borked up here:

No name changes are allowed here (fairly obvious, because that's a modification)

True, u can modify at will, as long as the modifications get published under the same license (or GPL). Dunno where I got the idea at all. Still on a high after a nightly coding session I suppose :)

No matter whether you modify the library or not, the rest of your application does NOT have to be open-sourced.

Entirely true, but Bernhards remark is valid too. Including any parts of the library, modified or not, inside your program, as opposed to linking to it, makes the application fall under the license. Because including code from the original work makes that application a derivate work.

Linking against the binary is fine.

A whole paragraph of the license 6 words, it doesn't get more clear than that. The safest course of action if ever in doubt.

So, here we have the most important parts (imho) of the LGPL layed down I think. Anyway, thanks for the correction. Seems I read quite easely over mistakes the last time...