🚀 go-pugleaf

   Date: 30 Apr 90 04:21:30 GMT
   From: brnstnd@stealth.acf.nyu.edu

   In article <GUMBY.90Apr29041714@Cygnus.COM> gumby@Cygnus.COM (David Vinayak Wallace) writes:
   > I can't understand what all this ``unwilling'' and ``unknowing''
   > business is about.  You can't modify the source code without seeing a
   > copyright notice which either includes or points you at the license
   > terms.

   [brnstnd agrees, but...]

   However, a huge portion of code use and reuse under UNIX doesn't involve
   source code at all. A GNU program installs a library; someone sees the
   library and uses it or, in the worst case, doesn't even know he's using
   the library at all.

I'm not sure what this means.  All I can imagine:
1> User sees the new "foo" library.  She/he checks the documentation
   or header files to learn the calling conventions.  Said docs/headers
   point to the licensing terms.  User makes and informed choice.
2> User links with libc.a.  But this libc happens to to be copylefted
   by the FSF.  It acts just like any other libc; it may have some
   extensions but the user doesn't know this.  I agree the copyleft
   could use a clarification here: the intent is that this doesn't
   affect the caller since the user isn't using any special feature of
   the copylefted code; you could replace it with another behind the
   user's back and he/she wouldn't notice.

		       When you install gcc, does it send mail to all your
   users warning them that, unlike most UNIX compilers, it doesn't produce
   freely redistributable output? No.

No and why should it?  You may do whatever you want with its output.
The licence covers the compiler's source code and binary, not your
code which you transform with it.  Likewise modifications to the
editor are covered, but not programs you edit WITH the editor.

The licence discusses the program's source and modifications thereto.
It says nothing about what you may or may not use it for.  In addition
the foundation has stated publically that this does not apply to
programs run through the compiler.

What's the use of putting up a straw man?