Why is Fedora not a Free GNU/Linux distributions?

Les Mikesell lesmikesell at gmail.com
Sat Jul 26 16:01:24 UTC 2008


Alexandre Oliva wrote:
> 
>>> Please stop spreading misinformation.
> 
>> That's funny - remember this post is in response to my exact quote of
>> the license section 2b.  Do you really consider what the license
>> actually say as misinformation?
> 
> When you quote it out of context, you turn it into misinformation,
> yes.

The context is that it is a part of what you must agree to do if you 
want to do anything with _every_ GPL-encumbered work that copyright law 
alone would not permit.  It is only agreeing to those terms that gives 
you additional rights.  There are no other options.  If you don't or 
can't  apply those terms to all parts or you can't share any that 
require it.

> Please.  If you are serious about trying to make progress in this
> discussion, go talk to a lawyer and stop making things up.  If you
> proceed further without talking to a lawyer, the only possible
> conclusion is that you are only interested in wasting our time.

A lawyer can't change what it says.

> FTR, I did get a lawyer's opinion on that, from the same legal counsel
> that advises the FSF, who happens to be the author and the copyright
> holder of AFAIK the largest body of code available under the GPL.

If the FSF doesn't not believe that the work-as-a-whole clause actually 
means the terms must cover the work as a whole, why don't they make 
another license that says what they want it to mean?  Would this 
imaginative interpretation also permit sharing of GPL-covered components 
modified to link with proprietary libraries among people who otherwise 
have the right to do so (i.e. all concerned parties have their own 
license to the proprietary part).  If it does, or you can explain the 
wording that differentiates between this scenario and parts that are 
under a different licence that the FSF happens to like this week, then 
I'll believe you are on to something.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
    lesmikesell at gmail.com





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