🚀 go-pugleaf

hiroshi@teine.chem2.hokudai.ac.jp (Hiroshi Murakami) wrote:
] ---
] BTW, Why FreeBSD OS does not show at its starting time
] that some part of this OS comes from GPL software?

Because there is no GPL'ed software in the kernel or the critical
code path to system startup.

In other words, no part of the OS proper is derived from GPL'ed
software.

The same is true of NetBSD.

All GPL'ed components are optional-install, and such components
are clearly identified in the accompanying documentation and in
the FreeBSD manual pages wriiten for them.

This is intentional.

It is to allow third parties the freedom to sell the code
commercially without source.

If they choose to sell the whole thing (which agregates some
GPL'ed code, like the compiler), then they must abide by GPL
for those components seperate from the agregation (per the GPL
rules regarding agregation).

Walnut Creek CDROM sells the whole thing, and provides the
GPL'ed code source with the GPL'ed components, meeting the
GPL requirements for distribution.


It is expected that because there is forward progress in
developement, a third party would have an advantage if they
rolled their changes back in not having to reintegrate them
with each subsequent release.

This is considered a sufficient "Sword of Damocles" without
having to resort to something like the GPL to force code
contributions.


					Regards,
                                        Terry Lambert
                                        terry@cs.weber.edu
---
Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present
or previous employers.