Re: Is NPL DFSG complient or not?

[Richard Braakman <dark@xs4all.nl>]

Philip Hands wrote:
> Richard Braakman <dark@xs4all.nl> wrote:
> > This means that if we distribute modified versions of an NPL'd
> > program, we're going to have to keep source packages around long after
> > we have replaced the binaries with new versions.  We have no mechanism
> > in place for this.
> 
> Take a look at the GPL --- it says three years:
> 
>     b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three
>     years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your
>     cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete
>     machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be
>     distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium
>     customarily used for software interchange; or,

Yeah, but that's only option b).  You also have option a), which is to
distribute binary and source together, like we do.  Then you can drop
the source as soon as you drop the binary.  The NPL has no such option.

Richard Braakman