If I buy a GPL program, I own it. It is mine. I can install it on any computer I own. I can also sell you a copy if you're willing to pay for it, as long as the original authors get credited correctly and I pass the source code to you as part of the deal.Lets deal with this one at a time. My first question is this-who does the code belong to once it is GPL'ed? What entity, person, group, troll, whoever owns the code?
Or I can give you that program for free. If you want to bring your computer to Elkridge, Maryland, I will happily install Mandrake Linux on it for you -- either free or for a fee, depending on what deal you and I make. While you're here, maybe you'll want to buy a 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier I own and I'm thinking about selling.
I own the car. I own my copy of Mandrake Linux. I can do whatever I want with them -- and manuals are included with both.
But somewhere on a shelf around here there is an old Windows 98 CD gathering dust, and if I sell or give it to you, I am breaking the license agreement under which it was distributed.
Note that I say "distributed," not sold.
As far as I'm concerned, if I OWN something I should be free to SELL it, and most proprietary software licenses prohibit sale of used programs. Chevrolet can't stop me from reselling my Chevrolet car, and if you buy a copy of my book (came out last week), and later decide to sell that copy used, you're free to do so.
Do you own all the software on your computer? I own all the software on mine. :)
- Robin "Roblimo" Miller
Editor in Chief, OSDN
(Linux.com, Slashdot,
freshmeat, and other
Open Source Web sites)
Personal site: http://roblimo.com
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