Re: the FSF's definition of Free Software and its value for Debian

[Henning Makholm <henning@makholm.net>]

Scripsit Jeremy Hankins <nowan@nowan.org>
> Branden Robinson <branden@debian.org> writes:

> > I don't see what's unclear, ambiguous, or inefficient about saying "the
> > recipient and all third parties".

> "in posesion of the (modified) software", right?

I'm not sure that is strictly necessary. Even if everybody has the
*right*, the right can only be *exercised* by people who happen to be
in possession of the software.

It's not that different from everybody having the right to express
their thoughts on print. Those who are not in a possession of a
printing press (or some other device for producing hardcopies in
quantity) can nevertheless not use that as grounds for demanding that
somebody who has a printing press will help them exercise the right.

-- 
Henning Makholm               "... not one has been remembered from the time
                         when the author studied freshman physics. Quite the
            contrary: he merely remembers that such and such is true, and to
          explain it he invents a demonstration at the moment it is needed."