Re: GPL-licensed packages with depend-chain to OpenSSL
claus@faerber.muc.de (Claus Färber) writes:
> Brian Thomas Sniffen <bts@alum.mit.edu> schrieb/wrote:
>> What's in a normal Debian install doesn't matter, because it all gets
>> distributed together on mirrors and in cd-packs. There's a very
>> specific phrase used to keep MS and Sun from shipping Emacs with their
>> proprietary libc: "unless that component itself accompanies the
>> executable."
>
> If we follow this interpretation, this means that you can't distribute
> an closed source OS with GPL tools. IMO, this was not the intention of
> the GPL authors. If you have to distribute the component with the GPL
> software, this is a sign that it's not universally available on the
> operating system. However, if you are distributing an OS...
That was *exactly* the intent of the GPL authors: to prevent Sun from
distributing the GNU tools with Solaris. They do distribute them
separately.
> Well, we should not think: "openssl accompanies $tool-ssl" but:
> "$tool-ssl accompanies Debian which also includes openssl (or a
> compatible SSL library)".
Silly syntax games don't help anything: the author put it under the
GPL because he *didn't* want it shipped with software with
restrictions like OpenSSL's. So we should follow his wishes and not
distribute it that way. If he wants it distributable with OpenSSL,
he'll grant a license exception.
-Brian
--
Brian Sniffen bts@alum.mit.edu
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