On 11/4/06, Francesco Poli <frx@firenze.linux.it> wrote:
IMO, whenever there's any doubt about which is the preferred form
("preferred by whom?"), we should follow the preferences of the last
modifier: if you actually modify a work, you've shown in practice what
is your preferred form for modifications (rather than simply claiming in
a vacuum what *would* be your preferred form, should you make
modifications that you don't actually make!).
What if a person downloads a GPLed binary and then modifies that binary directly? Can he/she now distribute *only* the binary under the GPL by saying that the binary is his/her "preferred form for modifications". If yes, then GPL seems to have a severe loophere here, as anyone who wants to distribute GPLed binaries without the original source can just do some (trivial) modifications to the binary, and then distribute this binary as the source. An additional question to consider (in addition to "preferred by whom") might be "preferred for what reason". Quite many people might prefer to modify the actual binary if it allows them to distribute the binary as the source. -- Markus Laire