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KDE et al may not incorporate other people's GPL'd code



I don't know if this is going to be throwing oil onto a fire, but:

If I find that anyone has taken some of my GPL'd code and put it into a
Qt-dependent program I _will_ insist that they do not distribute the
result until they have replaced my code or made their program not
depend on Qt.

Qt-dependent apparently-GPL'd stuff is _not_ released under the GPL;
it's released under the GPL plus some implied relaxation due to the
necessity of the author and others being able to ship it.  Therefore,
Qt-dependent apparently-GPL'd programs which contain code from
real-GPL'd programs MAY NOT BE DISTRIBUTED AT ALL: the real-GPL'd code
may only be distributed in accordance with the GPL, which requires
that the source to the whole program be distributed under the terms of
the GPL, which it can't be.

Morally, Qt-dependent programs are _not_ free[1], and if you take GPL'd
free code and put it into a Qt-dependent program you have `stolen' it
by making it no longer free, just as much as if you took GPL'd
software and incorporated it into a conventional commercial program.

Personally I WILL enforce my copyright in this respect, and I
encourage others to do the same.

Ian.

[1] `free' according to the FSF's definition.


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