GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL)

The GNU Lesser General License; see: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html

The LGPL is similar to the GPL (GNU General Public License) in that it allows users to access, inspect, and modify the source code of a tool or resource released under the LGPL, and requires that distributed modifications of the tool or resource to be released under the LGPL. However, tools or resources that only link against a library released under the LGPL may be released under any license.

Since the LGPL is typically applied to libraries, end users are in general not affected by the choice of the LGPL. Developers who release a library under the LGPL may miss an opportunity to promote free software (by, for instance, releasing under the GPL), but by using the LGPL may find increased use of their library, and will ensure that if a tool that links to their library may not release its source, the user does have the ability to inspect the workings of the called library routines.

NeuroLex: birnlex_2345