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Re: GNU License, Again


From: Alfred M. Szmidt
Subject: Re: GNU License, Again
Date: Thu, 24 May 2007 21:48:02 +0200

   >    >    But the free software is the GPL program -- how does it
   >    >    protect free software by requiring that the non-GPL one
   >    >    become GPL as well? The free software is only the GPL
   >    >    program -- which can function on it's own, unlike the
   >    >    non-GPL program, and if all sources to said GPL program
   >    >    are divulged under GPL, then how is it made any less
   >    >    free? It isn't!!!
   >    >
   >    > The end result is no longer free, since users are now
   >    > prohibited from running, studying, improving and
   >    > distributing the non-free program.  The GPL sees that this
   >    > will never happen, and users are always guaranteed to always
   >    > be free.
   >
   >    The _entire_ non-free program, of course -- but such a
   >    distribution would still keep the originally free code free.
   >
   > If the originally free code is linked to a propietery program,
   > then the result is not free.  The GPL sees that this will never
   > happen.

   But the originally free code is still made free. So I'm vindicated
   in my understanding: It is designed to not only keep the original
   free code free, but to make more code free.

The original is no longer free, since it depends on a non-free work.
The resulting work, a deriviate, is no longer free.  And for the last
time, the GPL cannot make anything free, only the copyright holder
can.





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