Re: [nl223@cus.cam.ac.uk: copyright breakage]
Scripsit David Starner <dvdeug@x8b4e53cd.dhcp.okstate.edu>
> http://www.linux123.co.uk/ does not provide sources from
> the webpage, but they could accompany the CD's with "a written offer,
> valid for at least three years . . ." (GPL, section 3b).
Yes - GPL 3b seems drafted to deal explicitly with this kind
of situation. This implies to me that a CD vendor who ships
binary-only disks *must* include such an offer with their
disks in order to comply with the GPL. This does not mean
that such an offer has to be as widely advertised as the
offer to sell binary disks, of course - so we cannot draw
any conclusions from the fact that the vendor does not offer
source disks from his web page.
> It's also not particularly Debian's problem - it's upto someone
> whose GPL code is on that disk, which may include a Debian developer
True.
> Frankly, I wouldn't start any witch hunts until (a) someone has bought
> the disks and checked out that they aren't in compliance with the
> licenses and then (b) somebody has made a polite request for them to
> shape up.
I concur. Let's not forget that the real purpose of the conditions
in the GPL is to prevent someone from making the software proprietary
by hiding the source from the user. "Everybody knows" that the source
for Debian packages is freely available from FTP sites and cheaply
available from several CD vendors - that information is also availabe
on a binary installation, I think - so there is really no chance of
hinding the source, and I don't think the issue is very important
in the case of official binary disks.
[debian-www trimmed from reply list]
--
Henning Makholm "Det ville være så let at skabe et
paradis. En fredfyldt, harmonisk verden."
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