Re: PHPNuke license

[David Turner <novalis@novalis.org>]

Can we please, please, please start another thread to discuss this?!

On Thu, 2003-03-06 at 09:25, bts@alum.mit.edu wrote:
> David Turner <novalis@gnu.org> writes:
> >> I have heard that the ASP phenomenon is one motivation for a GNU
> >> GPL v3; I'd be very curious to know what changes the FSF is making
> >> to specifically target the ASP problem.
> >
> > *fsf hat on*
> >
> > The Affero license (AGPL, http://www.affero.org/oagpl.html) should give
> > you a good idea, although we of course intend to be more general in
> > GPLv3.  I think there's a comment address somewhere where you can mail
> > your comments about the AGPL.
> >
> > The major change is section (2)(d), which says, in short, "If the
> > program has quine-like functionality to give you a link to the running
> > source code, you can't remove it."
> 
> Oh my God, what a Horror that will be.  So if I take a webserver and
> hack in a poorly written database interface with a hardcoded password,
> I'd have to reveal that password to all users.  Essentially, this is a
> prohibition on poorly-done modifications... 

No, it's a notice that if you do a modification poorly, you'll pay for
it. But you would know this in advance. 

> that's enough reason for
> me to stop releasing code under "version 2 or later" of the GNU GPL:
> the persistent spectre that future versions will prohibit certain
> sorts of functional modifications.

That would be silly, since you could always fall back to v2.  The only
reason to fear v2 or later is that v3 could be too permissive, not too
restrictive.

> Wouldn't a requirement that if you make the software available for use
> to another party, you provide an offer of source to those users make
> much more sense, and avoid entanglements with the function of the
> software?

That would be impossible under US copyright law, where "use" isn't one
of the 17 usc 106 exclusive rights, while modification is.  


-- 
-Dave Turner                     Stalk Me: 617 441 0668

"On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters 
of principle, stand like a rock." -Thomas Jefferson