please wait
- Forum
- General C++ Programming
- Free non-GPL C++ compiler
Free non-GPL C++ compiler
Apr 16, 2015 at 9:49am
Its hard to believe but I've been looking for a free non-GPL C++ compiler for more than 1.5 months! Why I need that is: I am making a game engine, and it converts the scripts into C++ then it needs a compiler to compile that for it. That's why I need that compiler. And my requirements are:
1. If I use it in my app ( my app=free but not open source), I mustn't have to open source my app. = non-GPL
2. Its license must allow me to distribute it with my app.
3. It mustn't be dependent on something else. i.e Clang is dependent on MinGW
4. The compiler must have a command line parameters.
5. It must be able to compile for Windows OS.
Any help will be very++ appreciated!
1. If I use it in my app ( my app=free but not open source), I mustn't have to open source my app. = non-GPL
2. Its license must allow me to distribute it with my app.
3. It mustn't be dependent on something else. i.e Clang is dependent on MinGW
4. The compiler must have a command line parameters.
5. It must be able to compile for Windows OS.
Any help will be very++ appreciated!
Last edited on Apr 16, 2015 at 10:01am
Apr 16, 2015 at 12:12pm
If you compile code using a gnu licensed compiler you can absolutely keep that code closed source. The license only prevents you from redistributing a modified version of the compiler without keeping it open source. Using open source(free) software doesn't mean the things you make with it must remain open source.
Apr 16, 2015 at 12:36pm
You mean to say that if I distribute MinGW (without modifying) with my game engine, and my game engine uses it, I won't have to open source my game engine?
Apr 16, 2015 at 1:03pm
This might interest you: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#MereAggregation
Last edited on Apr 16, 2015 at 1:05pm
Apr 16, 2015 at 1:34pm
Visual Studio Community Edition - I can't off the top of my head remember any other free native suite.
Apr 16, 2015 at 2:40pm
I just installed a Python-based program to Windows. It did not include Python, but instead its installation instructions did state the dependency on Python (and Numpy) and even had links to sites that distribute those.
In ideal world there would be a standard package management system and each package would list its requirements so that the package manager could automatically fetch and install necessary third-party packages from public repositories. Why should every package contain commonly used runtime libraries and utilities?
In ideal world there would be a standard package management system and each package would list its requirements so that the package manager could automatically fetch and install necessary third-party packages from public repositories. Why should every package contain commonly used runtime libraries and utilities?
Apr 17, 2015 at 10:31am
@Peter87 I'm really bad at understanding what a license says. I'll be thankful if you can just answer my this question:
| if I distribute MinGW (without modifying) with my game engine, and my game engine uses it, I won't have to open source my game engine? |
Apr 17, 2015 at 12:01pm
What I linked to was not the license itself, but the FAQ. It doesn't seem to be totally clear but I think (without being an expert) there is a big chance that you can't do it, but if you want a better answer you probably have to hire a lawyer.
Apr 17, 2015 at 12:29pm
Thanks everybody for their help! I just figured out that opening the source for my game engine wouldn't be much of a problem, I'll open source it, and license it GPL.
Topic archived. No new replies allowed.