🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <4207:Apr3004:21:3090@stealth.acf.nyu.edu> brnstnd@stealth.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) writes:
>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. 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.

gcc does produce freely distributable output; even if you can find some
lawyer who disagrees with this, it doesn't matter because Richard Stallman
believes it (he's said so on the record) so he won't come after you.  It's
only if you link with gnu libraries that you have a problem.  Right now
there isn't any gcc library to worry about.  The only thing that gets you
here is bison licensing.

This is more of a problem with g++.  To avoid any confusion, since version
1.36 you have to say -lg++ on the command line now to get the libg++ library.
If you don't say "-lg++" and everything you link in is your own, the code
is all yours.

If anyone doesn't like this, they can produce replacement libraries that
are freely redistributable.  I might even contribute to such an effort,
since I have no problems with people selling software.  But when I use
Gnu software I don't think it's an evil thing to follow the conditions.

>> Seems to me that once you've been informed of the licensing
>> conditions, if you go ahead you implicitly agree to them.

>This isn't true when the license is unenforceable.
But if you believe the license is unenforceable, your attempt to license
the code you steal may be unenforceable as well -- you sell a binary, and
everyone happily gives your binary code away, refusing to pay you except
for the first copy.  What are you going to do?  The onus would then be
on you to prove a violation, and you've already shown your own disrespect
for licensing.

A little old lady's rights to personal safety in a very bad neighborhood
may be unenforceable, because there isn't enough police presence to stop
the thieves.  But if you violate the Gnu license on the theory that it's
unenforceable, you're just another thief -- willing to steal from someone
because you believe they are helpless.

Even in the absence of a legal document you think is up to snuff, if you
were a gentleman you would honor the wishes of someone who has given you,
for free, valuable software, not to use it in a way that violates the
author's principles, even if you disagree with them.


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Joe Buck
jbuck@ohm.berkeley.edu	 {uunet,ucbvax}!ohm.berkeley.edu!jbuck