🚀 go-pugleaf

Chris Petrilli writes:

  ... the GPL says you may not charge more than a reasonable
  distribution fee, except for warantee, etc.

This just isn't so. What the GPL does say is that you CAN charge for a
warrantee and distribution costs, not that you can't charge for anything
else.  The idea, as I've always seen it, is that if X buys the stuff from
Y for big bucks, X can turn around and give it to Z for free if he wants,
since X is free to do with the stuff as he wishes. Y can't stop X in this
case, but X doesn't have to give it to Z. X can even charge more to give it
to Z if Z wants to pay that much for it for some reason (warrantee,
stupidity, etc.).

This is an important distinction in this case of skirting the copyleft,
since keeping the warrantee is conditional on not getting or ``opening'' 
the source code, just like the warrantee on your stereo is conditional
on not opening the cover since there are no user-serviceable parts inside
(yeah, right ;-).



-- 
Kurt Baudendistel --- GRA
Georgia Tech, School of Electrical Engineering, Atlanta, GA  30332
internet: baud@eedsp.gatech.edu         uucp: gatech!gt-eedsp!baud