Re: Debian on one dvd?

[Siward de Groot <siward@wanadoo.nl>]

On Friday 16 December 2005 01:58, Philip Hands wrote:
> So you think you'll convince a court that the word "medium" in this case
> (which was clearly written at a time when the obvious example would have
> been one of a variety of magnetic tape formats) can also be interpreted as
> meaning a random conglomeration of computers and network components, owned
> by an undefined cloud of individuals and corporations, both domestic and
> foreign?
I think i could argue that
  the meaning of these words at the time the GPL was written is immaterial,    
  since the softwares are much newer,
  and their license was therefore chosen much more recently,
or even :
  all these softwares are currently licenced under the GPL,
  therefore the current meaning of 'medium' must be used.
Whether that would convince a court ?

Especially, courts might consider that
  software can be distributed 'over' the net, but not 'on' it.
Fortunately, clause a) reads :

    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;

So the internet is something softwares can be distributed 'on',
  or Debian does not comply with the GPL.

(by the way, i wonder why the GPL doesn't require the source to be
  distributed on the same type of medium as the binaries ?)

> Debian _always_ distributes under clause A as far as I'm aware, since we
> make the source simultaneously available on-line.  Remember, Debian does
> not produce physical CDs or DVDs in it's own right (although we do generate
> the master images and publish them on-line, with accompanying source
> images)
Good point.
So Debian does not distribute, but it makes available,
  which makes it responsible for any resulting distribution,
  and it takes it's responsibility by accompanying binaries with source.
Makes sense.

> I cannot imagine a situation in which Debian or SPI would go for the
> "written offer" route of clause B,
Maybe in a situation like the current one,
  to relieve a give-away-free-binaries distributor from that obligation ?
Furthering the spread of Debian is one of SPI's goals, i think.

If, for the distribution of standard sarge softwares,
  the distributor could simply point to Debian's site,
  that would make things simpler.


have fun !

  Siward de Groot
  (62.234.41.231/homepage)