Date: Tue, 09 Jan 2001 17:16:34 -0700 From: Wes Peters <wes@softweyr.com> To: Lukas Ertl <l.ertl@univie.ac.at> Cc: Dan Langille <dan@langille.org>, freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: any Linux distros which are not Open Source? Message-ID: <3A5BA9E2.34D6D857@softweyr.com> References: <Pine.BSF.4.31.0101091240230.48782-100000@pcle2.cc.univie.ac.at>
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Lukas Ertl wrote:
>
> On Wed, 10 Jan 2001, Dan Langille wrote:
>
> > I'm involved in a thread on nz.comp and someone made this statement:
> >
> > "There are commercial forms of Linux that are not open source."
>
> The person who said that should give some examples. To me this seems just
> another piece of FUD. Maybe he thinks about kind of embedded devices, but
> then the company still has to make the sources available since they are
> under GPL.
Except except except. Call Rio and ask them for the source to their
Kerbango netradio application. Call any embedded Linux device vendor and
ask them for the code to their device, even the parts that they're supposed
to provide under GPL. See what a warm and loving reception you get.
> > That's a conflict of terms isn't it? Doesn't the GPL require that it be
> > open source?
>
> If it's Linux, it's GPL. If it's GPL, it *must* be open source.
Let's correct that:
If it's GPL, it's *illegal* unless it is open source.
People (and companies) break the law all the time, and usually get away
with it.
--
"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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