On Fri, Jan 16, 2004 at 02:12:48PM -0600, Chris Spencer wrote: > On Fri, 2004-01-16 at 13:09, Ray Ferguson wrote: > > Technically the sources are GPLed so the provider never has to have a > > subscription or SLA of any kind to be entitled to the source code. > > Additionally WBEL scrubs the source of trade marks prior to recompile, so you > > can use WBEL without voiding RHEL SLAs. Same goes for progeny. > > I can take a get the source to a product under the GPL. > I can make modifications to it and repackage it. > I can sell my repackaged for to corporation XYZ and I can say here is a > modified product. It's licensed under the GPL so here is the source. > You can do with it anything you want...but if you re-release it I won't > sell you the next upgrade. All true, but the last, if the product is made _publicly_ available, like RHEL3, Progeny update services etc. > XYZ can re-release the code in any way they want...they have the freedom > that the GPL affords but I don't have to continue to do business with > them. You have to provide source code, even if you never had done or will do business with a person, if you are offering the product publicly. http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html The above is not to interpreted as an encouragement to follow this practice, that is an etirely different matter. > As far as Red Hat and WBEL goes....what it boils down to (my bet) is > that they don't want the negative publicity associated with cracking > down on it. The fact is they can't touch WBEL anyway. > > They can however, shut off the freely (and openly) provided distribution > and errata source code. They still have to provide it but they could > get away with doing it only for subscribers and they could tell their > subscribers that their service would be terminated if they used it on > multiple systems without paying for each. No, that's not a possible business model with the GPL. (but I'm no lawyer either) > What I would hope is that people that are do these types of things don't > expect that they will be allowed to forever get no cost updates. > > If people want no cost updates then they better start contributing right > here. Right now. > > -Chris > > "There are only two things that are infinite: the universe and human > stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein > > > -- Axel.Thimm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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