Re: Summary : ocaml, QPL and the DFSG.
On Wed, Jul 21, 2004 at 10:49:20AM +0100, Matthew Garrett wrote:
> Michael Poole <mdpoole@troilus.org> wrote:
>
> >The QPL doesn't release you from the obligation to provide changes to
> >the author if you have since stopped distributing the software (for
> >whatever reason). That clause applies to *any* time at which the code
> >is not available to the general public. It would be plausible for an
> >SCO or Microsoft to demand that a Debian package maintainer provide a
> >three-year-old version of a package because Debian users downloaded
> >that modified version.
>
> I'm not convinced that applies. The clase is "These items, when
> distributed, are subject to the following requirements" - what does
> "when distributed" mean? At the point at which they are distributed? If
> distributed once, these must always occur? 6a and 6b sound like they
> only apply at the time of distribution.
Well, for a start, it doesn't specify a timeframe, so we're all guessing.
But to read the clause as "These items, [at the time of distribution], are
subject to the following requirements" would mean that the initial developer
would need to request a copy of the linked items at the same time as I
distribute the QPL'd program. That would be quite a feat.
Clarification of timeframe on that would be a useful thing to have.
- Matt
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