bschwart@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Computers are toys) (12/15/89)
.\" >>>>> On 14 Dec 89 14:19:23 GMT, jay@splut.conmicro.com (Jay "you ignorant splut!" Maynard) said: .\" .\" Jay> Well, for example, take a recent posting to alt.sources: GNU getopt .\" Jay> ported to MS-DOS. .\" .\" Jay> It was posted without a copy of the GNU Public Virus. Yup, I checked it and I guess in my enthusiasm to share software I forgot to put the GPL in the cshar. Sorry. However, I think you will find the copyleft notice intact and in addition the mandatory notice of hacking. There is fair warning that the code is covered by the GPL and people can get it from me. I also took the liberty of re-indenting the code to my liking. That's individualism for you. Here's a suggestion--that GNU distribute a skeleton makefile for shar'ing and tar'ing and cpio'ing GNU software, to make sure you get each desired piece. I shar'd up with a hand-entered command.com line, but if I'd had a skeleton makefile the lateness of the hour would not have caused my goof. It should be _foolproof_ to redistribute software meant for sharing. A person shouldn't have to go through the third degree. .\" no, if you use the getopt package, you don't have to post your .\" sources. if you change getopt and redistribute it, then you do. My understanding is that if you give away binaries of your code linked with getopt then the whole thing is supposed to be covered by the copyleft. If I give away sources only and one could as easily use the AT&T p.d. getopt (which I used to do before discovering how nicely the GNU getopt did what I wanted) then I have a hard time seeing how the rest of the code would be covered. It is good, by the way, that a FORTRAN is in the works. People will need it. There's too many shoddy FORTRAN compilers around. One I used wouldn't even compile LINPACK. It is hard to see how all this is going to help John Q. Public, though. J.Q.P. needs an editor for his 8088 (we will assume he has not disgraced himself with a M*c) that he got at Crazy Eddie's. In a decade he will need one for his 80286. (We geeks will be using godknowswhat, but J.Q.P. will still be in the dark ages, if Radio Shack has anything to say about it.) GCC couldn't interest him in the least--nor could Gnuchess. He's going to want GNUStar and GNUTetris, and he isn't going to want to compile them or even know what a compiler is--and he shouldn't have to know, any more than a typist has to know how the LCD display on the typewriter works. Barry (Let's port GCC to the Rockwell AIM-65.) -- Barry Schwartz, Chief SAPsucker bbs@cdspr.rutgers.edu Grad Student, Dept. of Elec. and Comp. Engg. bschwart@elbereth.rutgers.edu Rutgers University College of Engg. bbs@hankel.rutgers.edu Piscataway, NJ 08854 U.S.A. rutgers!cdspr!bbs