Re: GPLed software with no true source. Was: Bug#402650: ITP: mozilla-foxyproxy

[Ben Finney <bignose+hates-spam@benfinney.id.au>]

Stephen Gran <sgran@debian.org> writes:

> This one time, at band camp, Mike Hommey said:
> > However, the GPL requires the prefered form for modification to be
> > provided. And what the author uses to modify is definitely not the
> > whitespace-free version.
>
> Given that the only difference between the version you see and the
> version the author modifies is whitespace, I don't think there's a real
> 'freedom' issue.

We know of *one* difference between what the author modifies and what
is distributed as "source". I don't necessarily believe that's the
only difference. There could be additional differences, e.g. stripping
comments, that are impossible to restore.

The point is that the recipient isn't getting the "preferred form of
the work for making modifications to it" and can't therefore fulfil
the terms of the GPL when distributing the work.

-- 
 \          "It's a good thing we have gravity or else when birds died |
  `\             they'd just stay right up there. Hunters would be all |
_o__)                                     confused."  -- Steven Wright |
Ben Finney