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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!solace!news.ind.mh.se!not-for-mail From: Neil Moore <amethyst@valjean.sfhs.floyd.k12.ky.us> Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.unix.bsd.misc,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy,comp.os.os2.advocacy Subject: Re: GPL Date: 01 Feb 1997 16:57:18 -0500 Organization: maxwell Lines: 25 Message-ID: <m23evgchq9.fsf@maxwell.sfhs.floyd.k12.ky.us> References: <32DFFEAB.7704@usa.net> <32ED1866.34F02393@indiana.edu> <5cl66d$l52@web.nmti.com> <5cmiuu$iud@garuda.synet.net> <5cokgi$alm@web.nmti.com> <L3U8y0gTz/TM091yn@ibm.net> <32F167BB.41C67EA6@freebsd.org> <0rnuc5.3e1.ln@zen> <5cvodo$hme@omega.gmd.de> NNTP-Posting-Host: 170.180.106.254 X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.3/Emacs 19.33 Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.misc:155741 comp.os.linux.networking:67006 comp.os.linux.advocacy:82082 comp.unix.bsd.misc:2195 comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy:51644 comp.os.os2.advocacy:265124 Holger Veit <veit@gmd.de> writes: > Dream on. What's happening to me was the following: there is a company > which has made a port of gcc to some embedded controller. They want > DEM 3000 for a service contract and then give you binaries and sources > of this port "as an addition". When you ask them "GPL and free software, > and blurb, and blah, I would like to have the *free GPL'd* software" they'll > tell you: we are not a software company, we sell consulting for that > embedded controller, and some port of the gcc is just a courtesy, and > no, you won't get the gcc, you can buy support...circle,circle,circle. > Point is with software, that you may write it, but noone can force you > to give it to everybody coming along, even if it is GPL. I am going to > write my own code in my own chamber, and put a GPL label on it, because > I think the CopyLeft header looks c00l, but this does not make it > automatically public domain, so that you may request a copy from me. With anything like this, there is eventually going to be someone who is ticked off enough at this `abuse' of the GPL that he goes right ahead and redistributes the software he paid DEM 3000 for. When that happens, there is nothing the company can do about it, other than possibly terminate support (and that would be a good opportunity for the GPL to be tested out in court). -- -Neil Moore http://www.sfhs.floyd.k12.ky.us/~amethyst/ (finger amethyst@valjean.sfhs.floyd.k12.ky.us for my Geek Code)