Re: Do Debian patches violate the GPL?

[Santiago Vila <sanvila@unex.es>]

Martin Schulze wrote:
> BUT: If we distribute scripts (shell, Perl, Python etc.) or PHP
> files, that are patched before they are packed into a .deb file,
> they normally don't contain such notices, even though the GPL seems
> to require them, and we do distribute plain files in these cases.

In general, we distribute the source, a diff, and a modified "binary",
so, point 3 applies:

  3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it,
under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of
Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following:

    a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable
    source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections
    1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,

[...]

The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for
making modifications to it.


Question: Isn't a script inside a .deb in "executable form"?
(In such case it would suffice to provide its source, which we already
do by providing the original source and the diff).