LGPL question

Hi All

I am writing a repport on LGPL, during the review of this report, i recieved a question.

Well in an embeddet device you do not always have acces to the software. So how to comply with the term in 6.b (2) (quotetd below) of the LGPL? I have to make sure that my propetarely work will work with a modified version of the libary. well teknikaly this is not an issue. But if my software is deliveres in a ROM. The user cannot put in a new libary! Do I the have to supply my own work on some other media, for the user to take this and dynamicaly relink my work with a new version of the libary. I don't know what he/she will use it for as he/she cannot put it back in the ROM.

Or is it sufficient to deliver the sources of the library (or an written offer to do so). And then just make sure that my work in theory could work with a modified version if one could get that into the ROM?

LGPL §6 ... b) Use a suitable shared library mechanism for linking with the Library. A suitable mechanism is one that (1) uses at run time a copy of the library already present on the user's computer system, rather than copying library functions into the executable, and (2) will operate properly with a modified version of the library, if the user installs one, as long as the modified version is interface-compatible with the version that the work was made with. ...

NB: for people remembering my former questions on the distribution definiotion, who got mad becuase they thought that i was trying to steel LGPL code. I can relax you that even thoug i have not had this question cleared (no answer from FSF). My report will still say that any sale or hire of devices is a distribution. Actually i do not discuss it in the repport, it would only leed to the wrong ideas.

IANALGPLE, but I would say that your proprietary work simply has to use library functions in such a way that when the library changes, as long as the new library has the same interface to those functions, your program will still work with the new version.

So you link to functions A and B in the library, and it gets updated, so the functions are now C and R, but A and B calls will still access them, and they're functionally similar(maybe faster or accurate to more decimals, or work with a different architecture, etc) so your program can still use the new library and operate correctly.

Given that libraries are updated independent of all sorts of software using them, most likely they will remain compatible for a long time to come. If years from now some library update breaks your software, it's a matter of if you have the resources, and/or a commitment to, update your software to be compatible with the new library as well.

So yes, it is sufficient to be sure in theory that your program could work with a modified version of the library, unless you made a contract promising more.