🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <07yL58w164w@mantis.co.uk> mathew@mantis.co.uk (Industrial Poet) writes:
>It seems to me that the FSF ... dislikes people selling software ....

This is incorrect. The GPL and GLPL do not restrict the sale of software
for money in any direct way (as long as the copyleft is propogated and
source accompanies the sale). They do, however, restrict it in a round about
manner. 

For example, if X sells some copylefted software to Y, Y can turn
around and give it to Z for free. Or, Y can turn around and sell it to A
for twice as much as he paid for it (if A will let him get away with it).
Y might provide some added value, like support or a warranty to A, but this
is not required at all. The trick here is that everybody works on a level
playing field, and eventually, the real cost of software will drop to the
distribution costs, since B should be able to find someone to sell him the
copylefted software (X, Y, Z, or A) at a cut rate price.

>Said people are targeted not because they harm the FSF in any way,
>but because the FSF believes itself to be on some sort of moral crusade to
>force people to make sources available and programs free.

They are interested in making programs free, but this means ``free from
restrictions,'' not ``free of cost.'' 
-- 
Kurt Baudendistel ---                                           --- GRA
Georgia Tech, School of Electrical Engineering, Atlanta, GA  30332-0250
internet: baud@eedsp.gatech.edu              uucp: gatech!gt-eedsp!baud