> The legality aspect on getting the source software in question public was
not part of my questions.
But it is. The legality is exactly why no one on the inside leaks proprietary
source code. It really is that simple.
I suppose you have a preconception that these companies must have some sort
of complicated mechanism to ensure that their secrets don't get out. But they
don't. It's very simple: the only people who are in a position to do so are
highly paid and treated very well, they almost always have no objection
whatsoever to proprietary software, and even if they did, they would know
that leaking the source code is just going to make things worse.
Or to put it more simply, it's a conspiracy with a very small number of
conspirators and the threat of law on its side, and therefore incredibly easy
to enforce. That's it.
In fact, every once in a while, source code does get leaked. It happened with
some sort of PowerVR driver or something like that at one time, for example.
When it does happen, though, no knowledgeable person with any sort of
intelligence is going to spread it, because it's illegal and that's harmful
to everyone involved. In the case of the PowerVR driver, for example, having
illegally leaked source code floating around the Internet just makes it more
difficult to develop a libre PowerVR driver, because now you have to worry
about proving that you didn't base your work on the leaked code.
> My understanding is, you have a right to modify any software on your
computers should you be able to do so.
That's not the point, now is it? Regardless of whether or not you're free to
incorporate copyrighted software you don't have permission to distribute,
containing trade secrets you aren't supposed to know, into software you never
distribute, it is illegal to distribute it to anyone. Having to develop your
own drivers from scratch is not exactly helpful.
