Re: DFSG and GPL -- source retention

[Tyson Dowd <trd@cs.mu.OZ.AU>]

On 04-Dec-1998, Raul Miller <rdm@test.legislate.com> wrote:
> 
> I think we're safe if we keep the sources available for three years
> after the binaries are available.

You are safe if you can download the source from the FTP site at
the time of offering the binaries.  Since this is always the case,
there is no problem.

> I think that if all our mirrors distributed full source, and if apt had
> an option so that it would always download the source for every binary
> it installed, that we would could get by with deleting source at the
> same time we delete the binaries.

Making source available for download at the same place as the
binary is considered equivalent to distributing the source code,
even if you do not choose to download the source.

This is clearly stated in the GPL.

Tyson.