On Wed, May 2, 2007 3:46 pm, Gregory K. Ruiz-Ade wrote: > On May 2, 2007, at 1:56 PM, Andrew Lentvorski wrote: > >> Proprietary applications are fine with GPL code until you attempt to >> sell/distribute. That's when the GPL kicks in. > > A constant point of confusion in this specific case seems to be > exactly to whom you must distribute (or make available) sources for > such an application. Is it only those who you sell/distribute the > binaries to, or is it any comer who would like the sources? > > I have yet to see this point adequately and unambiguously defined. > > Gregory >
It is to anyone you distribute the binary to, free or otherwise. A while back distributors like RH stopped distributing source and made it available on request. I don't know if the FSF sanctions this. Seems to me if someone wrote RH and said "Lan gave me the binaries for RH 4.0 and now he won't give me the source," they would be able to say "see Lan, he's your problem." But what if it were FC6? (Imagine for this example that FC6 was no longer supported on their FTP server.) Because Lan always had the _option_ to get the source, RH has the obligation to make sure that option never goes away. But IANAL. -- Lan Barnes SCM Analyst Linux Guy Tcl/Tk Enthusiast Biodiesel Brewer -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
