Re: Linux and GPLv2
Francesco Poli <frx@firenze.linux.it> writes:
> Could you please elaborate on the "PHP loophole"? I've never heard of
> it: what do you mean by that?
It's the whole web-as-platform idea. Let's say I take a copy of latex
(assuming for the moment that it were GPL, which it isn't IIRC), and I
"enhance" it (maybe I integrate it with word somehow, under NDA) so that
it is no longer remotely compatible with the standard latex, and then
set up a web site offering a document processing service for a fee. I
never distribute the program in binary form, so I never have to
distribute code either. I'm therefore able to take advantage of all the
work the latex & tex folks have done without contributing my own changes
back to the community -- or to the users of the software.
A valid concern, arguably, even if it does hinge on certain ideas about
how the computing field will evolve that I doubt will turn out to be
accurate. But the only licenses we've seen so far that deal with this
problem (if it is a problem) give up too much freedom in exchange. At
least, IMHO.
--
Jeremy Hankins <nowan@nowan.org>
PGP fingerprint: 748F 4D16 538E 75D6 8333 9E10 D212 B5ED 37D0 0A03
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