🚀 go-pugleaf

   Date: 18 Oct 91 07:30:53 GMT
   From: jonathan@ukmug.uk.mugnet.org (Jonathan Allen)

   However, there is also a large amount of two more serious things:
   misunderstanding of the GNU copyleft and commercial protection.

   The GNU copyleft, as I understand it, forbids the use of GNU software
   in the production of commercial software items, unless the GNU copyleft
   is carried forward onto that product, and the one thing no software house
   wants to do is release source code ... especially with somthing like the
   GNU copyleft on it !!

The copyleft forbids nothing of the sort.  Type <help>C-c in emacs for
details.

Many companies use the GNU tools to produce their software.  For
instance, anybody developing software on NeXT or DG machines using the
bundled compiler uses the GNU C compiler.  There are also many
companies who use the GNU tools in preference to bundled tools for
performance reasons.  It doesn't seem to be a problem.

If you want to include GNU source code in your program, then the
result will be covered by the license agreement.  Most software
producers restrict the use of their source code in this way.

As for release of source in general: source distribution has
traditionally been de rigeur.  It's only in the past decade that
source distribution restrictions have become commonplace.  But many
software houses still do disseminate source.  It's definately
overstating the case to allege that "no software house wants to ...
release source code"