On Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 03:47:39PM -0700, Don Armstrong wrote: > On Fri, 18 Mar 2011, Mark Weyer wrote: > > Just to make sure there is no misunderstanding, let me rephrase my > > scenario: Someone modifies a GPLed work, say a program written in C. > > Between compiling and distributing, he deliberately deletes the C > > files. Then he distributes the compiled binary. By the "if the > > source does not exist any more, what is left is source" rule, the > > compiled binary now is its own source because it is the (only and > > thus) prefered form for making further changes. > > Yes, but this isn't something that a sane upstream is ever going to > do, so it's not worth discussing much. [And frankly, if it's something > that upstream does do, one should strongly question whether Debian > should actually be distributing the work in question anyway.]
It is not common, but it does not require insanity. Only that the modifier does not intend to do any maintenance. I agree that, in the case of a program as in my example, Debian would not be interested in redistribution anyway. > > I do not understand what it has to do with privileged positions. > > Because the source no longer exists, the upstream is not in a > privileged position for making future modifications. Thanks for clarifying. > Copyleft is > fundamentally about putting the users of a program on the same footing > with the same freedoms as the creator of a program. Copyleft is more. Let A be the original author, B be the modifier and C a user of the modified work. In my understanding of copyleft, C should have the same freedoms (including access to real sources) with respect to the modified work by B as B had with respect to the original work by A. Not only the same ones that B now has with respect to his own work. I guess I'll just mark this as yet another reason not to use the GPL. Best regards, Mark Weyer -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-legal-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20110320205128.GA3200@debian