Rick Funderburg wrote: > > Let me rephrase. Modifying GPL'd (or LGPL'd) code without releasing > changes seems as though it goes against the spirit of the license. > > By using intuitively, I was stressing that it was more of a gut feeling > than anything that could be backed up by facts.
One of the tests that Debian uses to determine if a software license is free or not is one called the Dissident Test. http://wiki.debian.org/?DissidentTest http://people.debian.org/~bap/dfsg-faq.html Answer 9b Basically, it boils down to this: Can a dissident in a totalitarian country (think China) use and modify the software without having to reveal their identify? In the case of *forced* publication of changes, this fails. The LGPL and GPL both pass this test. As long as you do not distribute the resultant binary, you are not forced to disclose any modifications. This is actually A Good Thing. Forced speech is not Free speech. -john -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
