Re: Copyright lawyers analysis of Andreas Pour's Interpretation
> On Sun, 13 Feb 2000, Raul Miller wrote:
>
> > > Other people, including me, use another definition:
>
> > > "The complete source code for a binary consists of whatever
> > > is necessary for the recipient to recreate the binary with
> > > modifications of his own."
>
> > > where "binary" means the "object code or executable form" that GPL.3
> > > allows me to copy and distribute under certain terms.
>
> > Are you claiming that this binary is something that can be executed,
> > or not?
On Sun, Feb 13, 2000 at 05:13:33PM +0100, Henning Makholm wrote:
> I'm not claiming anyting of that sort. I use the word "binary" to mean
> whatever I'm distributing and need the GPLs permission to distribute.,
In the case of kghostview, that includes the sources for: libkfile,
libkfm, libkdecore, libXext, libqt, libX11, libkdeui, and libstdc++.
[Except that you can get out of some of this with the GPL's special
exception, if you're distributing for a proprietary OS, and you're not
the OS vendor.]
> > The GPL doesn't even use the term "binary" as a noun. It seems to
> > me that all you've done is introduce a new term,
>
> I used the term "binary" as an abbreviation of a concept because I needed to
> refer to that concept twice in my main claim.
>
> > However, from context, it looks as if you mean "binary" to mean "file"
> > and not "program".
>
> Excactly.
The GPL doesn't require that you distribute all of the executable files
for a program. However, it does require that you distribute (or make
arrangements to distribute) all the sources for the program, and this
must be under the terms of the GPL.
There would be little point to using the GPL if someone could just
dynamically link it to a proprietary library which was available, free
of charge, in source form, to anyone -- with the slight caveat that
anyone who distributed modifications to that proprietary library must
contribute everything owned by any author of the program to Bill Gates.
Yet, this is logically equivalent to what you are claiming.
--
Raul
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