Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 16:57:59 -0600 From: Wes Peters <wes@softweyr.com> To: Warner Losh <imp@village.org> Cc: arch@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Bringing LPRng into FreeBSD? Message-ID: <39593177.336E28E9@softweyr.com> References: <39584F45.6C99F22B@softweyr.com> <200006242153.OAA01110@h4.private> <200006270615.AAA31842@harmony.village.org> <200006270654.AAA32561@harmony.village.org>
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Warner Losh wrote:
>
> In message <39584F45.6C99F22B@softweyr.com> Wes Peters writes:
> : Warner Losh wrote:
> : >
> : > Looking at the rest of this thread, I thought I'd run through the
> : > license to see if there were any gotchas. So far all the FUD I've
> : > seen on the list seems to be false.
> : >
> : > : 4. You may distribute the programs of this Package in object code
> : > : or executable form, provided that you do at least ONE of the
> : > : following:
> : > :
> : > : a) distribute a Standard Version of the executables and
> : > : library files, together with instructions (in the manual
> : > : page or equivalent) on where to get the Standard Version.
> : > :
> : > : b) accompany the distribution with the machine-readable
> : > : source of the Package with your modifications.
> : >
> : > OK.
> :
> : If you're Joe's Print Server Corp you're not gonna be quite so willing to
> : say "OK" to this. Do you really want your customers trying to upgrade
> : your installation of LPRng on the ROMs in your Print Server ][ plus?
>
> We're not Joe's Print Server Corp. That's Joe's problem, not ours.
> He can deliver the stock version of LPRng, or make arrangements with
> the copyright holders, just like people that want to distribtue hacked
> copies of perl w/o passing their changes back.
But the rub is - does the activity of porting it to FreeBSD make it a
changed version? I'm well aware that the FreeBSD standard versions are
re-released to the public, but none of that has anything to do with this
section 4.
As the FSF notes, this is an incredibly poorly written license. I'm
certain you're interpreting it as the authors MEANT it to be interpreted,
but it DOESN'T SAY THAT.
> Like I said before, if the server company wants to distribtue their
> own hacked copy of LPRng, which isn't available at all, then they will
> need to get a license from the copyright holder. Otherwise, they will
> have to use lpr. Us including or not including lprng won't change that.
The problem is not with their own hacked copy of LPRng, but that they
(potentially) can't distribute the FreeBSD version. I'm staring at this
with Perl on a closely related ;^) platform at the moment, and it is
quite a problem.
--
"Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket?"
Wes Peters Softweyr LLC
wes@softweyr.com http://softweyr.com/
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