Question

I’m a little confused by exactly what the rules are for using licensed libraries/software. I’ve produced a small C++ program in Qt Creator using the Boost libraries and the MSVC 10 compiler. I have no intention of selling this software but I may well put it up on the internet at some point. Does this mean that I have to license it under Boost license and LGPL (due to Qt Creator) or is this not needed? I have little adversion to doing so but would like to understand the rules better and haven’t been able to find a plain English “can and can’t do” with Google or on Stack Overflow.

Answer 1

Qt Creator is licensed under LGPL. So, if you use dynamic linking, you don’t have to worry about Qt.

You have no problem if you…

• use the original qt libraries,

• distribute the dll files with your application,

• you do not compile those dll files into your exe file.

Please check this question: Qt, LGPL, Commercial closed-source application

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Boost has its own license named Boost License.

From Boost web site:

if you distribute your own code along with some Boost code, the Boost
license applies only to the Boost code (and modified versions
thereof); you are free to license your own code under any terms you
like.

From Boost License:

The copyright notices in the Software and this entire statement,
including the above license grant, this restriction and the following
disclaimer, must be included in all copies of the Software, in whole
or in part, and all derivative works of the Software, unless such
copies or derivative works are solely in the form of
machine-executable object code generated by a source language
processor.

Which means that if you did not made any changes in original Boost Library you only need to have Boost License file in your source code. This is your only restriction.

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About Visual C++ please check here:
Visual Studio Express 2010 license