Re: Is AGPLv3 DFSG-free?
* Davi Leal <davi@leals.com> [080915 20:55]:
> Bernhard R. Link wrote:
> > Is it so hard for your to understand, that not being able to run
> > modified services secretly is a restriction?
>
> Is it so hard for you understand, that not being able to distribute only the
> binary of a modified Linux kernel (without distributing its source code) is a
> rectriction?
I understand this perfectly well. I do not claim that it is not a
restriction, only that it is a totally different type of restriction.
And I respect the decision of people thinking this is too much a
restriction. I won't tell BSD people that GPL fits the definition
of their freedom nor do I claim that noone ever claimed GPL does not.
I do not share their goals, but I respect their views and do not claim
their views are too stupid to exist.
Having to ship the source with the binary means costs, too: You have to
keep the sources around with the binaries and you cannot combine it with
things where you are not allowed to give out the source and then
distribute the result.
But for not combining with other code you can claim the fault at other
code. For keeping the source around you'll have bigger problems when you
want to change anything and cannot do it, so it is not that big of a
problem. And putting it on some disc or CD or whatever is always
possible and cheap. Having to pay someone in your organisation (or
invest your own time) to keep all of them around and findable is a cost,
but we respect that.
You also do not have to publish anything you run. You only have a more
readable version, while the binary already contains all the details,
just a little better obfuscated.
Restricting running a program on the other hand means you do not give
people control over their own computer.
You do not allow them the privacy to modify things they run. You do not
allow them to make ugly hack tomake it run on their computer.
And they either have to ship the source at their cost all the time (and
arbitrarily often), unless GPL which also gives the possibility to only
ship it on the requestors cost.
Hochachtungsvoll,
Bernhard R. Link
Reply to: