Re: gpl ?

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Re: gpl ?
by J.B. Nicholson-Owens on Thursday 09/Jan/2003, @19:01

Whether one can sell a copy of a program depends on that program's license. The GNU GPL does not prevent distributing copies of GNU GPL-covered software for a fee. In fact the Free Software Foundation (who wrote the GNU GPL) encourages people to distribute the software at whatever price you can get for it (see http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.html). The summary of the news item is confusing because it fails to use the term "commercial" clearly. GNU GPL-covered software is commercial software if you paid to receive a copy of the software. The GNU GPL prohibits proprietary derivatives, not commercialization.

It's also odd to see people discussing the GNU GPL in the context of the Open Source movement. The Open Source movement had no role in writing the GNU GPL. The GNU GPL was in use well before the Open Source movement existed. The Open Source movement does not share the same philosophy as that expressed in the GNU GPL. To properly understand why the GNU GPL says what it does you need to look to the Free Software movement which is over a decade older than the Open Source movement.

For more information on both movements, please read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html which directly addresses the difference between the two movements without insulting the reader or reducing either movement to a triviality. Check out http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/ for more information on the concept of Free Software.

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