🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <wNm0eB7w164w@mantis.co.uk>, 
mathew@mantis.co.uk (Lieutenant 030) writes:
> The GPL isn't at all unique in that respect.  Software released as public
> domain is just as freely duplicatable by the users, and they're every bit
> as guaranteed to be able to get source.

No, they are not as guaranteed to be able to get the source.  When a user gets
an executable for something that is GPLed, they either get the source code
along with it, or a offer to send the source code along for the costs of the
distribution.  The user will always know how to get the source.  When a user
gets an executable for some public domain software, there is no guarantee that
source or instructions for getting the source will come with it; the user may
not even know that the software is public domain and that the source is
available.

Now, some may argue that it's easy enough to find the source of a PD software
package, given you know its name.  That may be true for someone who has access
to the Net and knows how to find things on it, but what about someone who
doesn't have access to the Net?  There are a *lot* of computer users that don't
have net access of any kind; they won't be able to find the source themselves,
and place they got the PD software package has no responsibility to tell them
how to get the source.  

--
T. Kurt Bond,  tkb@mtnet2.wvnet.edu  or  os360051@wvnvms.wvnet.edu