On Sat, 2 Dec 2006, Shachar Shemesh wrote:
This matter plagues small Linux distros much more. They often only put
up the source code for modified software. There was a Slashdot story,
about half a year ago, saying how essentially all small Linux distros
are violating the GPL due to this article.
Let's not be so clever. A small Linux distro often does not have the
resources to put up a full source tree. In theory linking to the source
tree stored elsewhere and supplying a diff against that should be
enough. At worst the original linked-to place might complain about
bandwidth and then other arrangements must be made (by then the small
linux distro would stop being small anyway).
When I made a single floppy linux demo ten years ago and uploaded it to
sunsite I got a request for source (it was clearly stated on the floppy
how it was made). I answered the email with the same description (take
1.2.13 source tree, apply patch by Petri Matilla (sp?), compile, copy
binaries from list into image, dd kernel and image to disk and you are
done). The 'answer' was that the floppy image was deleted from sunsite
(I could have supplied more exact instructions if asked - but I was not
asked). I used it for ten years. At the time I had 33600 modem access
only and I used to run up 200NIS bills for Internet alone, plus phone
costs. There was no way I could offer a full source mirror and sending
source CDs out abroad would have bankrupted me (I did not own a burner
then).
Imho, they were the losers, not I.
If the cleverness of the guardian dogs of open source consists in making
sure that aggregators and contributors have at least 5GB storage and
500GB/month transfer for something that used to fit on two floppies
(never mind one) ten years ago then they are not clever. And those who
are not aggregators or never created or contributed (to) any projects
and just bark along are just dogs imho.
If this is a bandwidth-pissing contest I want to know now.
Peter
=================================================================
To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command
echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
