On Fri, Mar 12, 1999 at 10:12:17PM +0100, Wichert Akkerman wrote:
> > At the moment, there's still a problem where [oversimplified:] the QPL
> > requires that whenever you distribute the program you give Troll a copy.
>
> That makes it non-free.. *sigh*. Is this the only issue that makes these
> two licenses incompatible?
Oversimplified doesn't BEGIN to describe it. I'd go as far to say
grossly inaccurate and otherwise not true. The EXACT WORDING is far less
sinister:
6. You may develop application programs, reusable components and other
software items that link with the original or modified versions of the
Software. These items, when distributed, are subject to the following
requirements:
[..]
c. If the items are not available to the general public, and the
initial developer of the Software requests a copy of the items,
then you must supply one.
Provided that you are distributing the software in-house only and nobody
else other than people who work for you can get it, if Troll Tech finds
out that you are doing this they can contact you and ask for a copy which
you must provide.
If it is free software in the first place, probably this will never
happen. If it does happen (it's possible under most free software
licenses including the GPL) and someone tells Troll Tech about it and if
Troll Tech thinks it's useful...
The question: Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I haven't made up my
mind yet. I'm sure someone who really wanted to get around this will get
around it. (Supply one how? Can they charge Troll Tech for supplying
it? How much can they charge? Do they have to give Troll Tech source
too? Potentially arguable that they don't, though the rest of section 6
would seem to indicate that's the general idea...)
Worth noting is that anyone who is going to actually be noticed doing
free-but-non-free-because-distribution-is-in-house-only is going to be
big enough that they can afford a Professional license and in that case
they can also write it off as overhead costs, in which case (at least in
the US) it can be used to help with taxes and whatnot anyway.
--
Joseph Carter <knghtbrd@debian.org> Debian GNU/Linux developer
PGP: E8D68481E3A8BB77 8EE22996C9445FBE The Source Comes First!
To boldly go where no bunch of geeks have gone before :) --Joel Klecker
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