Hi all, the last call draft of the GNU Affero General Public License (GNU AGPL) version 3 has been published by the FSF, back on 14 August. The full text of this last call draft can be read at http://gplv3.fsf.org/comment/agplv3-draft-2.html
The text of this license draft is basically identical to the final text of the GNU GPL v3, except for section 13. The FSF has explicitly asked to submit comments about this section. Section 13 of the GNU AGPL v3 draft 2 follows, along with my comments (which are basically unchanged with respect to the ones I made for the previous AGPL draft, since the AGPL issues are basically unchanged...). I will send my comments to the FSF public consultation system ASAP. The usual disclaimers: IANAL, TINLA, IANADD, TINASOTODP. > GNU AFFERO GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE > > Last Call Draft (2) of Version 3, 14 August 2007 > > THIS IS A DRAFT, NOT A PUBLISHED VERSION OF THE GNU AFFERO GENERAL > PUBLIC LICENSE. [...] > 13. Remote Network Interaction; Use with the GNU General Public > License. > > Notwithstanding any other provision of this License, if you modify > the Program, your modified version must prominently offer all users > interacting with it remotely through a computer network :::: Bad: no clear definition of remote users The term "user" is not clearly defined. If I get an "access denied" error page through a browser, am I a user of the web application? When I visit a portal, am I a user of the browser? Of the portal application, as well? Of the server-side scripting engine, perhaps? Of the web server? Of the kernel the web server runs on top of? Of the router OS? And so forth... Where do we draw the line? This ambiguity is really problematic, as it implies that there's no clear way to tell whether a modified version supports remote interaction, and hence there's no clear way to tell whether it is subject to the restriction specified by this section. ===> the vagueness of the term "user" may extend the restriction to basically every kind of modified version > (if your > version supports such interaction) an opportunity to receive the > Corresponding Source of your version by providing access to the > Corresponding Source from a network server at no charge, through some > standard or customary means of facilitating copying of software. :::: Bad: use restriction, with a cost associated to it This restriction compels whoever runs the modified version of the Program to accommodate the source code on the server or, alternatively, to set up and maintain a separate network server to provide source code: this may be a significant cost in some cases. This is ultimately a use restriction (from the point of view of whoever runs the modified version of the Program) and effectively forbids private use of the modified version on a publicly accessible server. I'm *not* quite convinced that forbidding private use on a publicly accessible server should be considered as an acceptable restriction. Anyway, it's a cost (a significant one, in some cases) associated with running the modified version of the Program. ===> this is a use restriction, that may be associated with a significant cost > This > Corresponding Source shall include the Corresponding Source for any > work covered by version 3 of the GNU General Public License that is > incorporated pursuant to the following paragraph. > > Notwithstanding any other provision of this License, you have > permission to link or combine any covered work with a work licensed > under version 3 of the GNU General Public License into a single > combined work, and to convey the resulting work. The terms of this > License will continue to apply to the part which is the covered work, > but the work with which it is combined will remain governed by > version 3 of the GNU General Public License. -- http://frx.netsons.org/doc/nanodocs/testing_workstation_install.html Need to read a Debian testing installation walk-through? ..................................................... Francesco Poli . GnuPG key fpr == C979 F34B 27CE 5CD8 DC12 31B5 78F4 279B DD6D FCF4
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