dono@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Don OConnell) (03/18/89)
From jbuck@epimass.EPI.COM Fri Mar 17 11:56:27 1989 >Sounds like we've got a problem. The GNU redistribution agreement is >very strict (the Free Software Foundation people are passionate about >the way they feel software could be distributed), and by distributing >a binary without the GNU license you've violated it big time. >Rahul, I suggest you read the GNU software license carefully before >distributing binaries made from any more GNU stuff. As I understand it, >if you also distribute source and you include a copy of the GNU license >you're legit. >-- >-- Joe Buck jbuck@epimass.epi.com, uunet!epimass.epi.com!jbuck Joe I suggest that you read the agreement before you go shooting off your mouth, Your foot might not taste so good. (Open mouth un_insert foot.) :) Below is the copying agreement from GNU - read 3{a,b,c} Source OR offer to mail source OR tell where sources can be gotten -- -- Grep sources were just posted to comp.sources.unix in the last couple of months. Don O'Connell killer!dono ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE TO COPY 1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of this source file as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy a valid copyright notice "Copyright (C) 1988 Free Software Foundation, Inc."; and include following the copyright notice a verbatim copy of the above disclaimer of warranty and of this License. You may charge a distribution fee for the physical act of transferring a copy. 2. You may modify your copy or copies of this source file or any portion of it, and copy and distribute such modifications under the terms of Paragraph 1 above, provided that you also do the following: a) cause the modified files to carry prominent notices stating that you changed the files and the date of any change; and b) cause the whole of any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is a derivative of this program or any part thereof, to be licensed at no charge to all third parties on terms identical to those contained in this License Agreement (except that you may choose to grant more extensive warranty protection to some or all third parties, at your option). c) You may charge a distribution fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and you may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee. Mere aggregation of another unrelated program with this program (or its derivative) on a volume of a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other program under the scope of these terms. 3. You may copy and distribute this program or any portion of it in compiled, executable or object code form under the terms of Paragraphs 1 and 2 above provided that you do the following: a) accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Paragraphs 1 and 2 above; or, b) accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party free (except for a nominal shipping charge) a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Paragraphs 1 and 2 above; or, c) accompany it with the information you received as to where the corresponding source code may be obtained. (This alternative is allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you received the program in object code or executable form alone.) For an executable file, complete source code means all the source code for all modules it contains; but, as a special exception, it need not include source code for modules which are standard libraries that accompany the operating system on which the executable file runs. 4. You may not copy, sublicense, distribute or transfer this program except as expressly provided under this License Agreement. Any attempt otherwise to copy, sublicense, distribute or transfer this program is void and your rights to use the program under this License agreement shall be automatically terminated. However, parties who have received computer software programs from you with this License Agreement will not have their licenses terminated so long as such parties remain in full compliance. 5. If you wish to incorporate parts of this program into other free programs whose distribution conditions are different, write to the Free Software Foundation at 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139. We have not yet worked out a simple rule that can be stated here, but we will often permit this. We will be guided by the two goals of preserving the free status of all derivatives our free software and of promoting the sharing and reuse of software. In other words, you are welcome to use, share and improve this program. You are forbidden to forbid anyone else to use, share and improve what you give them. Help stamp out software-hoarding! */
dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) (03/19/89)
Thanks to the people who pointed out a possible license violation. I'm
checking. I think the violation was in letter and not in spirit. I'll
find some simple way of fixing the problem after the fact rather than
asking people to delete their copies of the posted binary. This may
simply involve posting another article, Archive-name in the same
directory as the original, which tells where to get source from.
--
Rahul Dhesi UUCP: <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee}!bsu-cs!dhesi
ARPA: dhesi@bsu-cs.bsu.edujbuck@epimass.EPI.COM (Joe Buck) (03/20/89)
From jbuck@epimass.EPI.COM Fri Mar 17 11:56:27 1989 >>Rahul, I suggest you read the GNU software license carefully before >>distributing binaries made from any more GNU stuff. As I understand it, >>if you also distribute source and you include a copy of the GNU license >>you're legit. In article <7574@killer.Dallas.TX.US> dono@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Don OConnell) writes: >Joe I suggest that you read the agreement before you go shooting off your >mouth, Your foot might not taste so good. (Open mouth un_insert foot.) :) Sorry, Don, I won't insert my foot. You're reading my comment beginning with "if you also distribute..." to mean "if and only if". Since that's not what I said, you may insert your own foot. Yes, it's also OK if you offer to mail source, or tell where sources can be gotten, but none of these were done, and the GNU license wasn't included. It's a simple matter to fix this problem: just include a reference to where the sources can be obtained. A copy of the GNU license should also always be included. In the past, source has frequently been posted at the same time as binary; that's why I suggested that. -- -- Joe Buck jbuck@epimass.epi.com, uunet!epimass.epi.com!jbuck