[ILUG] GPL clarification.

[Bryan O'Donoghue]

I download glibc and change some source. I redistribute this code 
subsequently (for money or otherwise).

As I understand the GPL (and I'd rather not get into a litigious 
hypothetical or quagmire of quotes from the GPL), I must make the source 
code for the _modifications_ also available to whoever I distribute the 
code to, under the GPL.

The following statement hasn't been tested in court to my knowledge :

If I link (with ld or similar) my propiatery code, to GPL code, I am not 
bound in any way to make my source code GPL.


Is this an accurate statement?

Note:

Personally, I'd rather GPL the whole thing, but, as most of us 
understand, people with this sort of opinion are a minority and not a 
powerful minority, in most companies.

In fact I view linking to GPL code and not GPLing the resulting binary 
as violating the spirit if not the letter of the GPL, but, that's not 
going to hold water, in legalese.

In brief, are the above statements before "Note" essentially true ? I 
believe that to be the case, and would appreciate if someone can point 
out a flaw, or offer some meaningful modification, of that which 
precedes "Note"