Re: Is forcing "upstream" distribution really OK for free software?

[Martin Dickopp]

Barry Margolin <barmar@alum.mit.edu> writes:

> In article <mailman.145.1089234860.22971.gnu-misc-discuss@gnu.org>,
>  Rui Miguel Seabra <rms@1407.org> wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 2004-07-07 at 15:49 +0000, MJ Ray wrote:
>> > The FSF appeared to make the same point in the
>> > section "Central Control" of their comments on APSL 1
>> > http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/historical-apsl.html However, the
>> > page http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html had a comment that
>> > requiring distribution to the original developer if asked is OK. This
>> > seems inconsistent.
>> 
>> > What have I not understood? What is the flaw in the test? Is there
>> > external reasoning for the FSD page? References fine. Thanks in advance
>> > for your time.
>> 
>> Notice the difference between forcing to send upstream, and sending if
>> asked.
>
> I think the OP's point is that anything that *requires* redistribution 
> is against the GPL.  Even redistribution back to the original developer.  

I don't think the OP was talking about the GPL specifically.  As I
understood him, he was asking the philosophical question whether forced
redistribution is acceptable for Free Software, or rather what the
position of the FSF/GNU project on this question is.

Martin