[wellylug] Linux as selling point.

Bret Comstock Waldow bwaldow at alum.mit.edu
Wed Aug 10 22:51:32 NZST 2005


On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 21:17, David Murray wrote:

> But if you're distributing an
> electronic gadget that has unmodified GPL'd software included as a
> built-in component part of the gadget...

I believe I understand the idea, but it doesn't appear to be so.  As I 
mentioned, article 3 states that if I distribute the binaries commercially, I 
must provide the source on request.

On the FAQ page for the GPL, there is a link to a quiz to test your 
understanding of the GPL, and one of the questions explicitly covers this:


Joan writes a web browser and releases the source code under the GPL on her 
web site. Fred gives a CD with binaries of Joan's browser to his friend for 
her birthday. Which of the following does not satisfy Fred's obligation to 
make source code available:

   1. He can put the source code on his web site, and put the URL on the CD.
   2. He can give out source on the same CD as the binaries.
   3. He can make a written offer to give out the source code on CD for a fee 
that covers his distribution costs.

#1 does not satisfy his obligation.  Note that he has not modified the code, 
he isn't linking to it, isn't running it, he just distributes it on a CD.


This is the understanding of the people who wrote the license.

I don't know if it's been tested in court, perhaps in some jurisdictions it 
may not be honored.  But it is what the license is written to require.

If the license isn't honored for legal reasons, there is a provision in the 
license that in that case no license to copy is granted *at* *all*.  Failure 
of a provision of the license does not cause the code to convert to the 
Public Domain - it revokes all license to copy the code - as if the original 
author/copyright holder did not release it in the first place.

All up, the person (the author!) who licenses code under the GPL requires the 
(commercial) distributor to provide the source on request, or the 
(commercial) distributor has no license to copy the code at all, and 
therefore may not distribute it in any form.

Cheers,
Bret
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