🚀 go-pugleaf

eggert@twinsun.com (Paul Eggert) writes:
> mathew@mantis.co.uk (Industrial Poet) writes:
> >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 GNU software
> 
> >I'm not damaging the author's income by selling the software, since he
> >doesn't want money for it.
> 
> Nonsense.  You damage the author in several ways.  For example:
> 
>     If your changes contain bugs as they invariably will, users may
>     wrongly blame the author, thus hurting the author's reputation; and
>     users may send bug reports to the author, thus wasting the author's time.

Easily solved; I make sure the original author's name and address aren't more
prominent than mine, and attach a note saying "Please report bugs to <...>,
not to <...>".

>     If you tell users ``get the vanilla source from the author if you
>     want it'' then you are transferring the burden of your user support
>     from yourself to the author, thus damaging the author.

Not at all.  I'm offering user support; I'm just not offering sources.

>     If the author distributes software under the GPL in expectation of
>     consulting income from users who need extra features, you directly
>     damage the author's income because the author can't fix your version.

Why *should* the original author be able to make money from something I
modified and which I am selling?

The GNU approach questions my right to control distribution of my software. I
question the original author's right to make money from supporting modified
versions of his code sold by other people.

>     Even if the author doesn't want consulting income, not giving
>     proper credit can hurt the author's reputation.

Oh, I can make sure he has proper credit.  Glowing praise, even.

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 GNU
software?


mathew