Re: The draft Position statement on the GFDL
Raul Miller wrote:
(Deep attributions snipped in previous messages)
>> >>You can combine gcc and metafont and make a new compiler; you can
>> >>even make a script that combines them, apply some patch to the
>> >>combination, and compiles the result to get to your invention; what
>> >>you can't do is to redistribute the resulting binary nor the
>> >>resulting source.
>
>> >Perhaps there's some part of the GPL that gives this permission which
>> >I've overlooked? If so, please quote this.
>
>> section 2:
>>
>> 2. You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion
>> of it, thus forming a work based on the Program, and copy and
>> distribute such modifications or work under the terms of Section 1
>> above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions:
>
> And how would this part of the terms of Section 1 be satisfied in
> this case:
>
> "...provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each
> copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty;
> keep intact all the notices that refer to this License.."
By your words "this case" above, are you referring to the above-quoted
discussion of combining gcc and metafont?
Based on your next (quoted below) paragraph, I must assume you are.
What does keeping copyright notices, warranty disclaimers and references to
this license have to do with combining GCC and metafont?
Are you suggesting that no possible combination of GCC and metafont can be
labeled with conspicuous and appropriate notices?
>
> Alternatively, how are you combining gcc and metafont without making a
> copy of the software which combines gcc and metafont?
Section 2 grants you a license to create derivative works. While not
explicitly granting permission to copy (just copy, not "copy and
distribute"), without that permission, there can be no derivative works.
Since the entire point of the GPL is to encourage derivative works, any
reading of the GPL which does not allow derivative works is clearly
erroneous.
>
>> Let's see, eliminating the irrelevant (to our discussion) parts: [[
>> 2,/caput/ ]] You may modify; you may copy such modifications with all
>> rights we waived in section 1; provided [[ 2, a ]] you mark the files
>> as
>
> Slow down, are you saying section 1 is irrelevant, or that you've
> satisfied its terms?
The terms of section 1 are satisfied by "conspicuously and appropriately"
keeping certain notices intact.
>
>> I said: You can modify gcc, combining it with metafont (as long as you
>> don't eliminate 2,c announcements -- which AFAIR gcc does not have);
>
> If you can put appropriate copyright notices on it, sure. I'm not sure
> how you're going to so this, but I'm sure you'll clear that up for me.
Change line 1 of gcc/src/main.c to #include "metafont/includes/includeme.h".
That's a (rather trivial) combination of the two programs. All of the
requirements for section 2 are met (as long as you don't distribute the
resulting combined work). All of the requirements for permission for
section 1 are also met.
--Joe
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