Date: 01 Sep 1998 11:46:04 +0900 From: CHOI Junho <junker@jazz.snu.ac.kr> To: freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Aladdin Ghostscript License and FreeBSD CD? Message-ID: <wkbtp035zn.fsf@jazz.snu.ac.kr>
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Hello,
Recently I investigated versions of ghostscript in free Unix. All
Linux distributions I found(Redhat, Debian, Slackware) have GNU
ghostscript(4.03), but BSD variants(FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD) have
Aladdin ghostscript(5.10) and other GNU ghostscripts sometimes.
Is there a special reason to this? What reason prevents Linux from
distributing Aladdin ghostscripts? So I read Aladdin
Licenses(doc/PUBLIC in Aladdin ghostscript distribution).
Here is part of the file(PUBLIC):
2. Restrictions.
This license is subject to the following restrictions:
(a) Distribution of the Program or any work based on the Program by a
commercial organization to any third party is prohibited if any payment is
made in connection with such distribution, whether directly (as in payment
for a copy of the Program) or indirectly (as in payment for some service
related to the Program, or payment for some product or service that includes
a copy of the Program "without charge"; these are only examples, and not an
exhaustive enumeration of prohibited activities). The following methods of
distribution involving payment shall not in and of themselves be a violation
of this restriction:
(i) Posting the Program on a public access information storage and
retrieval service for which a fee is received for retrieving information
(such as an on-line service), provided that the fee is not content-dependent
(i.e., the fee would be the same for retrieving the same volume of
information consisting of random data) and that access to the service and to
the Program is available independent of any other product or service. An
example of a service that does not fall under this section is an on-line
service that is operated by a company and that is only available to
customers of that company. (This is not an exhaustive enumeration.)
(ii) Distributing the Program on removable computer-readable media,
provided that the files containing the Program are reproduced entirely and
verbatim on such media, that all information on such media be
redistributable for non-commercial purposes without charge, and that such
media are distributed by themselves (except for accompanying documentation)
independent of any other product or service. Examples of such media include
CD-ROM, magnetic tape, and optical storage media. (This is not intended to
be an exhaustive list.) An example of a distribution that does not fall
under this section is a CD-ROM included in a book or magazine. (This is not
an exhaustive enumeration.)
According to 2-(a)-(i), I think Aladdin ghostscript on FreeBSD FTP
mirrors are ok. (it is public access), but according to 2-(a)-(ii),
FreeBSD CD-ROM may have a problem. Walnet Creek CDROM is not a product
of Walnet Creek? And "The Complete FreeBSD"(with books) doesn't
violate 2-(a)-(ii)? I have WC CDROM(2.2.1, 2.2.5), but it has all the
gs5.10 variants on the CD.
--
----Cool FreeBSD!----MSX Forever!---J.U.N.K.E.R/Beat Snatchers!----
CHOI Junho <junker@jazz.snu.ac.kr> http://jazz.snu.ac.kr/~junker
Distributed Computing System Lab,CS Dept.,Seoul National Univ., ROK
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