> Under this definition Cloud software and patented codecs become > non-free, right ?
Yes, the GNU AGPL fixes some of the Cloud problem, but there are cases it does not cover. For example, the owner of an "Internet Cafe" could offer the use of Free Software on machines that the users do not own. Since the software is not being distributed, the GNU GPL does not come into effect. Since the user is not interacting with the software over a network connection, the GNU AGPL does not come into effect. There is another case I had thought of some time ago, but I cannot remember right now... In the end we will need to discover the meaning of "Free as in Freedom" for sharing the costs of *hosting* software. We need a new way to share physical property that preserves user freedoms - a sort of 'PropertyLeft' that co-owners will use property rights to apply to their shared assets. Patrick Anderson http://ImputedProduction.BlogSpot.com
