Re: [GNU-linux-libre] Gnuplot

[Jason Self]

Alexandru Cojocaru <address@hidden> wrote ..
> Is Gnuplot really Free Software?

> Permission to modify the software is granted, but not the right to
> distribute the complete modified source code.  Modifications are to
> be distributed as patches to the released version. 

I seem to recall that other programs have had similar requirements and
have been considered free. It's really just a packaging issue: Your
modifications live in a separate file and are applied at build time.
This seems to mesh well with this section from the Free Software
Definition:

"...rules about how to package a modified version are acceptable, if
they don't substantively limit your freedom to release modified
versions, or your freedom to make and use modified versions privately.
Thus, it is acceptable for the license to require that you change the
name of the modified version, remove a logo, or identify your
modifications as yours. As long as these requirements are not so
burdensome that they effectively hamper you from releasing your
changes, they are acceptable; you're already making other changes to
the program, so you won't have trouble making a few more."