SharpDevelop2 LGPL'd, can now be used in Closed Source Apps
The SharpDevelop project switched
licenses with the 2.0 release in December from
GPL to LGPL. That means you can use the components in own applications, both
open and closed source. Unlike the GPL, you can statically or dynamically link
to LGPL
code from open or closed source applications as long as you don't make any
changes to the LGPL'd code. This goes against the goals of the
Free Software Foundation, but he who writes the code picks the license.
The SharpDevelop switch to LGPL is good news, because SharpDevelop
contains some advanced, mature code. Especially useful are the Core / Addin
system and the text editor component (which was the cause of this
fracas 3 years ago).
The SharpZipLib
remains GPL'd but with exception clauses that let you use the component
(not the code) anywhere - excerpt from
the site: "Bottom line In plain English this means you can
use this library in commercial closed-source applications."