Re: Is AGPLv3 DFSG-free?
On Saturday 30 August 2008 00:24:19 davi.leals@gmail.com wrote:
> Francesco, read the previous Arc Riley reply again. There is nothing
> perfect, and of course, as any type of service, the VCS can fails and go
> off-line.
>
> Arc Riley wrote:
> > If your free VCS service goes down for an extended period of time, just
> > re-upload to another, and you've continually complied with your
> > requirement to provide the modified coorespondance source.
>
> Even planes fails some times :-( but of course not all time!
>
> Arc Riley wrote:
> > If you're really worried about this, upload it to two different free VCS
> > services.
I have a question about this license.
When a AGPL software is in the Debian Stable distribution, is more or less,
public. (i.e. Anyone can download it)
Then, if I download it, and I made some modifications at the source code, the
AGPL (under certain conditions) will bind me to publish the source code. And
the FSF argument is that "you can put it on a public VCS". Yes, but that will
make the source code *public*. I don't know any other way to do that (without
spending money) that doesn't place the code in a public place.
And Free Software doesn't has much to do with Public Software. That is, the
Free Software can remain Public or Private. The same way as you can sell it
for money or you can simply give to other as a gift.
I see two major errors on the AGPL. One, that binds the occasional developer
to make their modified work public. And two, that forbids the possibility of
selling it, because you are forced to share it for free.
Other non-free licenses such as freeware licenses, or some of the
CreativeCommons licenses, allow verbatim copying and distribution (sometimes
witha non-commercial clause). But you can use and copy them without worrying.
With AGPL this is not true. You have to worry about the modified versions ¿Is
your version a modified one? ¿Should I use my modem-connection to upload this
software to the internet before start using it?
For example, say that I have a company, and we downloaded the meneame.net
source code and we've improved it. Then I'll sell to "Joe" for 200 Euro. Joe
now has a CD-ROM with the modified source and wants to try it at home with his
IRC friends. But Joe doesn't have a Internet connection, It only has a GPRS
modem. His internet provider will bill for each Megabyte.
Should Joe upload that source code? and, what If Joe doesn't want to make that
code public?
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