Re: TeX Licenses & teTeX (Was: Re: forwarded message from Jeff Licquia)
Boris Veytsman <borisv@lk.net> writes:
> We already discussed this. Because this is the goal of TeX. That is
> why TeX uses scaled point for calculations. The aim is to have exactly
> same output on same machines.
But then the goal of TeX is to be non-free. However, as already
indicated by me, you have misunderstood the TeX license, which does
not in fact require what you say it does. So we can move on from
there.
> I do not need this. I do not need any restriction on John User.
The premise of free software is that John User must be able to be John
Distributor.
> I need
> a restriction on *you*, or rather, Jack Distributor. Namely, I need
> the restriction for Jack Distributor to distribute a "slightly
> incompatible" TeX *and* call it TeX to unsuspecting John.
So, trademark the name TeX. That's what trademark is for, and the TeX
license is just peachy.
But the Latex license is different, and might well make it nonfree.
> I have no
> qualms if Jack distributes unTeX, newTeX or e-TeX (the latter, by the
> way, *is* distributed and is installed on my machine). I just want
> John to be able to know what he is getting.
Fraud is already illegal.
The problem here is that if John and Jane both know what they are
getting, they are *still* prohibited by the Latex license from calling
it what they want.
Thomas
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