🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <KERCE.90Jul10204725@nu.cs.fsu.edu> kerce@nu.cs.fsu.edu (Kingsley F. Kerce) writes:

   Recently, I ran across an ad in the back of Dr. Dobb's (Aug 90, p187)
   labeled `C Source Code'.  The "company", named Networks, in New Haven,
   NY, offers what seems to be GNU source code distributions for a fee.
   For instance, the ad reads "gnu c++...........$150.00" and
   "gnu gas.............$45".

 Yes, this is a reasonable thing for a company to do, if they follow
 all of the restrictions in the GPL.  In particular clause #1 of the
 GPL says "you may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a
 copy", which is precisely what these folks appear to be doing.

    Is this reasonable for a company to perform?  It doesn't sound good to
    me.  After all, you can order gcc, g++, gas, etc. from the FSF for
    ~$150.

 The FSF doesn't advertise in the back of Dr. Dobbs, which is fine by
 me.  If another company wants to come along and sell completely
 unsupported tapes full of gcc bits for less than Networks that's their
 right.  I happen to think that the distribution problem isn't the real
 interesting one, and so I'm not too worried that tapes are sold at
 "good" prices.  

--Ed

Edward Vielmetti, U of Michigan math dept <emv@math.lsa.umich.edu>
comp.archives moderator