🚀 go-pugleaf

>>>>> In article <1993Jan5.022956.19008@husc3.harvard.edu>,
>>>>> zeleny@husc10.harvard.edu (Michael Zeleny) writes:

>ME:
>>I believe the CopyLeft places no restrictions on "paraphrasing" -- so
>>feel free to go ahead to your heart's content.

MZ:
> Correct.  What about quotation?

Quotation or plagiarism - what's the difference?  One is a fair use of a
copyrighted work, the other isn't.


Your contention that GNU software is not "free", in that it is not
*totally* without obligation or restriction, is true.

But before you claim victory...

You object to the use of the word "free" in "Free Software Foundation"
because the "freedom" is restricted by a caveat in the form of the
General Public Licence.  Many contributors have already pointed out that
"free" is always restricted by the context in which it is used, so you
can't use a linguistic argument.


Now that I've flogged that one to death (again), I'll move on to what I
think your real objection is:-

You object to the terms of the GPL because they require you apply the
GPL to any of your own work which you distribute with FSF work, and you
want your work to remain proprietary.

The answer to this is - don't distribute your work with FSF work.
Instead, distribute it on its own with all your lock-out, software-
hoarding conditions and include a README file listing the FSF stuff
needed to get it up and running.  This way you don't contravene the GPL
because you're not redistributing FSF software.


There is an alternative interpretation to your objection to the GPL,
based on your anarchic (no insult intended) view of "free"...

You object to the terms of the GPL because they do not allow you to
plagiarise swathes of FSF code, bundle them into your own work, then
distribute the lot with every copyright, "look-and-feel" and "trade
secret" protection that you can find.

I think this interpretation is morally reprehensible and against the
best interests of the user community the "free" software is aimed at.


Kevin
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