🚀 go-pugleaf

mathew@mantis.co.uk (Industrial Poet) writes:

>> >So the question remains:  Why is reimbursement of a GNU program's original
>> >author (by means of releasing the changed sources) legally required if I
>> >*sell* or *distribute* modified GNU software, but not if I *use* modified GN
>> >software?
>> 
>> Because that's the way the author wants it!

>Right.  So there is no reason other than the fact that the FSF crowd don't
>like the idea of people making money by selling software -- is that what
>you're saying?

A very good reason is to stop everyone from making partly different
verions of a GNU program, keeping their changes secret so nobody can
duplicate their modifications correctly. In the end the program gets
destroyed because of all the different versions. As a user you can't
switch from one deriviate to other; you're dependent on features of a
particular version. You can't even switch computer systems unless the
same version on the program also exists on the new system. Just look at
the UNIX "families" disaster and the trouble it gives. Rather than a
free program it becomes owned by various others, who didn't bloody
write it in the first place and who will happily destroy it for some
short term profit. Can you imagine the original author doesn't like
it?
-- 
Sander Plomp
Internet: sander@cwi.nl
Fidonet: 2:283/500.4