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@center GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
@center Version 2.1, February 1999

@sp 1

Copyright @copyright{} 1991, 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA 

Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this
license document, but changing it is not allowed.

[This is the first released version of the Lesser GPL.  It also counts
as the successor of the GNU Library Public License, version 2, hence the
version number 2.1.]

@sp 1
@center Preamble
@sp 1

The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to
share and change it.  By contrast, the GNU General Public Licenses are
intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to
make sure the software is free for all its users.

This license, the Lesser General Public License, applies to some
specially designated software packages--typically libraries--of the Free
Software Foundation and other authors who decide to use it.  You can use
it too, but we suggest you first think carefully about whether this
license or the ordinary General Public License is the better strategy to
use in any particular case, based on the explanations below.

When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom of use, not
price.  Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you
have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for
this service if you wish); that you receive source code or can get it if
you want it; that you can change the software and use pieces of it in
new free programs; and that you are informed that you can do these
things.

To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid
distributors to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender these
rights.  These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for
you if you distribute copies of the library or if you modify it.

For example, if you distribute copies of the library, whether gratis or
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You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code.
If you link other code with the library, you must provide complete
object files to the recipients, so that they can relink them with the
library after making changes to the library and recompiling it.  And you
must show them these terms so they know their rights.

We protect your rights with a two-step method: (1) we copyright the
library, and (2) we offer you this license, which gives you legal
permission to copy, distribute and/or modify the library.

To protect each distributor, we want to make it very clear that there is
no warranty for the free library.  Also, if the library is modified by
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Finally, software patents pose a constant threat to the existence of any
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obtained for a version of the library must be consistent with the full
freedom of use specified in this license.

Most GNU software, including some libraries, is covered by the ordinary
GNU General Public License.  This license, the GNU Lesser General Public
License, applies to certain designated libraries, and is quite different
from the ordinary General Public License.  We use this license for
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When a program is linked with a library, whether statically or using a
shared library, the combination of the two is legally speaking a
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General Public License therefore permits such linking only if the entire
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License permits more lax criteria for linking other code with the
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We call this license the ``Lesser'' General Public License because it does
Less to protect the user's freedom than the ordinary General Public
License.  It also provides other free software developers Less of an
advantage over competing non-free programs.  These disadvantages are the
reason we use the ordinary General Public License for many libraries.
However, the Lesser license provides advantages in certain special
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For example, on rare occasions, there may be a special need to encourage
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In other cases, permission to use a particular library in non-free
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programs enables many more people to use the whole GNU operating system,
as well as its variant, the GNU/Linux operating system.

Although the Lesser General Public License is Less protective of the
users' freedom, it does ensure that the user of a program that is linked
with the Library has the freedom and the wherewithal to run that program
using a modified version of the Library.

The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and
modification follow.  Pay close attention to the difference between a
``work based on the library'' and a ``work that uses the library''.  The
former contains code derived from the library, whereas the latter must
be combined with the library in order to run.

@page

@center GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
@center TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

@enumerate 0

@sp 1
@item
This License Agreement applies to any software library or other program
which contains a notice placed by the copyright holder or other
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program that uses the Library does.

@sp 1
@item
You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Library's complete
source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you
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You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and
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@sp 1
@item
You may modify your copy or copies of the Library or any portion of it,
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you also meet all of these conditions:

@enumerate a

@item
The modified work must itself be a software library.

@sp 1
@item
You must cause the files modified to carry prominent notices stating
that you changed the files and the date of any change.

@sp 1
@item
You must cause the whole of the work to be licensed at no charge to all
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@sp 1
@item
If a facility in the modified Library refers to a function or a table of
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@end enumerate

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@sp 1
@item
You may opt to apply the terms of the ordinary GNU General Public
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@sp 1
@item
You may copy and distribute the Library (or a portion or derivative of
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@sp 1
@item
A program that contains no derivative of any portion of the Library, but
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@sp 1
@item
As an exception to the Sections above, you may also combine or link a
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@enumerate a

@sp 1
@item
Accompany the work with the complete corresponding machine-readable
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to use the modified definitions.)

@sp 1
@item
Use a suitable shared library mechanism for linking with the Library.  A
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version that the work was made with.

@sp 1
@item
Accompany the work with a written offer, valid for at least three years,
to give the same user the materials specified in Subsection 6a, above,
for a charge no more than the cost of performing this distribution.

@sp 1
@item
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materials from the same place.

@sp 1
@item
Verify that the user has already received a copy of these materials or
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@end enumerate

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@sp 1
@item
You may place library facilities that are a work based on the Library
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not covered by this License, and distribute such a combined library,
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and of the other library facilities is otherwise permitted, and provided
that you do these two things:

@enumerate a

@sp 1
@item
Accompany the combined library with a copy of the same work based on the
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distributed under the terms of the Sections above.

@sp 1
@item
Give prominent notice with the combined library of the fact that part of
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@end enumerate

@sp 1
@item
You may not copy, modify, sublicense, link with, or distribute the
Library except as expressly provided under this License.  Any attempt
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@sp 1
@item
You are not required to accept this License, since you have not signed
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based on it.

@sp 1
@item
Each time you redistribute the Library (or any work based on the
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@sp 1
@item
If, as a consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent
infringement or for any other reason (not limited to patent issues),
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would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Library by all those
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you could satisfy both it and this License would be to refrain entirely
from distribution of the Library.

If any portion of this section is held invalid or unenforceable under
any particular circumstance, the balance of the section is intended to
apply, and the section as a whole is intended to apply in other
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It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any
patents or other property right claims or to contest validity of any
such claims; this section has the sole purpose of protecting the
integrity of the free software distribution system which is implemented
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choice.

This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to be
a consequence of the rest of this License.

@sp 1
@item
If the distribution and/or use of the Library is restricted in certain
countries either by patents or by copyrighted interfaces, the original
copyright holder who places the Library under this License may add an
explicit geographical distribution limitation excluding those countries,
so that distribution is permitted only in or among countries not thus
excluded.  In such case, this License incorporates the limitation as if
written in the body of this License.

@sp 1
@item
The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new versions of
the Lesser General Public License from time to time.  Such new versions
will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in
detail to address new problems or concerns.

Each version is given a distinguishing version number.  If the Library
specifies a version number of this License which applies to it and ``any
later version'', you have the option of following the terms and
conditions either of that version or of any later version published by
the Free Software Foundation.  If the Library does not specify a license
version number, you may choose any version ever published by the Free
Software Foundation.

@sp 1
@item
If you wish to incorporate parts of the Library into other free programs
whose distribution conditions are incompatible with these, write to the
author to ask for permission.  For software which is copyrighted by the
Free Software Foundation, write to the Free Software Foundation; we
sometimes make exceptions for this.  Our decision will be guided by the
two goals of preserving the free status of all derivatives of our free
software and of promoting the sharing and reuse of software generally.

@sp 1
@center NO WARRANTY
@sp 1

@item
BECAUSE THE LIBRARY IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR
THE LIBRARY, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.  EXCEPT WHEN
OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES
PROVIDE THE LIBRARY ``AS IS'' WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  THE
ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE LIBRARY IS WITH
YOU.  SHOULD THE LIBRARY PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL
NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

@sp 1
@item
IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING
WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR
REDISTRIBUTE THE LIBRARY AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR
DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE LIBRARY
(INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED
INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF
THE LIBRARY TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER SOFTWARE), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR
OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

@end enumerate

@sp 1
@center END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
@sp 1
@page
@center How to Apply These Terms to Your New Libraries

If you develop a new library, and you want it to be of the greatest
possible use to the public, we recommend making it free software that
everyone can redistribute and change.  You can do so by permitting
redistribution under these terms (or, alternatively, under the terms of
the ordinary General Public License).

To apply these terms, attach the following notices to the library.  It
is safest to attach them to the start of each source file to most
effectively convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have
at least the ``copyright'' line and a pointer to where the full notice is
found.

@format
@t{
<one line to give the library's name and a brief idea of what it does.>
Copyright (C) <year>  <name of author>

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
Lesser General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307  USA
}
@end format

Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.

You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your
school, if any, to sign a ``copyright disclaimer'' for the library, if
necessary.  Here is a sample; alter the names:

@format
@t{
Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the
library `Frob' (a library for tweaking knobs) written by James Random Hacker.

<signature of Ty Coon>, 1 April 1990
Ty Coon, President of Vice
}
@end format

That's all there is to it!

@c @bye