🚀 go-pugleaf

   Date: 14 Sep 90 21:47:30 GMT
   From: weisberg@hpcc01.HP.COM (Len Weisberg)

   When Cygnus fixes a bug in FSF software for a customer:
   Do they report the bug to FSF? 
   Do they share their fix?

When a customer reports a bug we fix it first, and get the fix to the
customer right away.  Then we send the fix to the appropriate
maintainer.

This is relatively easy for us since we maintain G++ and GDB and are
working on GCC 2.0.  But there are other programs (like Emacs) which
we don't maintain -- fixes go to the FSF once we have them.  Reporting
a bug without a fix would be pointless -- it's the fixes that our
customers are paying for after all!

   What about other people/organizations who offer support for a fee?

I can't speak for them, but looking through the sources I see many
things which have been contributed by others (that's the point of free
software, no?).  I imagine many of them were consultants fixing bugs
for money.

   What is the FSF policy regarding this?

Look at the GPL.  As long as you give the sources awany when you
distribute the binaries, you're fine.  So in theory we could ship the
fix only to the customer who reported the bug!  But that would be
counterproductive. 

There is one hitch -- the FSF wants an assignment for any code someone
contributes, which can be a hassle.  We got around it by executing a
blanket assignment for any modifications to copylefted programs owned
by the FSF.  This includes any code we write from scratch and assign
in its entirety to the FSF too.

We see no reason in this day and age to write nonfree software, so we
won't.  I urge everyone else to do the same.