Joerg Schilling wrote:
This is not the GPL but GPLv3, which is a less free variant....
The freedom offered by the GL is for users of software, not for software developers. GPLv3 is not less free than GPLv2 for users.
People who speak about "the GPL" mean GPLv2 unless otherwise mentioned.
You may choose to believe so. In any case, you are as wrong about GPLv2 as you are about GPLv3: <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html> The "Program", below, refers to any such program or work, and a "work based on the Program" means either the Program or any derivative work under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another language. The wording here is erroneous; the first half of the sentence speaking of the Program or its derivative works is not the same as the second "that is to say" half, which speaks of a work containing a portion of the covered program. However, you may as well read that sentence as covering the program, its derivative works, and works which contain a portion of the program. If you choose to read it as not applying to works which contain a portion of the program, that does not mean that such works are then permitted to be distributed without restriction. On the contrary, it means that such works are not permitted to be created or copied at all, because no permission to do so has been granted. But that is obviously not the intent of the license designers (who are still around and may be asked) so the more liberal approach is warranted. This is also confirmed by later clauses: 2. You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion of it, thus forming a work based on the Program, and copy and distribute such modifications or work under the terms of Section 1 above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions: ... b) You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License. So the main difference between GPLv2 and GPLv3 in this regard is that the latter is better-worded. The permissions and requirements are the same, however. _______________________________________________ gnu-misc-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-misc-discuss
