Re: [opensuse] Novell GPL violation thread on Groklaw
[Sorry for coming late to this thread, I just noticed it through the archive] To recap: - The GPL states: --------------------------- 3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following: a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, ---------------------------- The boxed version comes without sources, so 3a doesn't doesn't apply and 3b must be followed. But the written offer is nowhere in the box, just a pointer to it on the web (and this pointer is in places where people normally don't look (bottom of the box, somewhere on some CD)). To conform with the GPL, at least the text "If you don't have Internet access or are unable to burn DVDs, we will send you the source code on a DVD. We need to charge a $15 or €15 fee for creation, handling and postage. To request a DVD of the source code, send an e-mail to sourcedvd@suse.de." from http://www.novell.com/products/suselinux/source_code.html or words to that effect _must_ be somewhere _in_ the box and should be on every media. This is currently made worse since yast can't install sources automatically (bug 175593). I strongly suggest to put the written offer in the root of every media and in prominent place in the manual. Best Martin PS: I suppose this also applies to SLE[SD] 10, but I haven't access to these.
b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, ----------------------------
The boxed version comes without sources, so 3a doesn't doesn't apply and 3b must be followed.
+1. By chance I stumbled upon http://www.gnu.org/cgi-bin/license-quiz.cgi and that's what it says: """ 6. FooCorp sells binaries of Joan's GPL'd web browser on CD without source code. They include an offer to provide source code. Which of the following offers fulfills their obligations under the GPL? * I. "You can download the source code from our web site at http://foocorp.example.com/download.html" * II. "Everyone who buys a binary CD may order up to one source CD per binary CD for $5000." * III. "Everyone may order a source CD for $5000." * IV. "Everyone who buys a binary CD may order up to one source CD per binary CD for the cost of distribution." * V. "Everyone may order a source CD for the cost of distribution." * VI. "Everyone who buys a binary CD may order up to one source CD for free." * VII. "Everyone may order a source CD for free." Result: "V and VII are OK, none of the others are."
But the written offer is nowhere in the box, just a pointer to it on the web (and this pointer is in places where people normally don't look (bottom of the box, somewhere on some CD)).
To conform with the GPL, at least the text "If you don't have Internet access or are unable to burn DVDs, we will send you the source code on a DVD. We need to charge a $15 or €15 fee for creation, handling and postage. To request a DVD of the source code, send an e-mail to sourcedvd@suse.de." from http://www.novell.com/products/suselinux/source_code.html or words to that effect _must_ be somewhere _in_ the box and should be on every media.
This is currently made worse since yast can't install sources automatically (bug 175593).
I strongly suggest to put the written offer in the root of every media and in prominent place in the manual.
Best Martin
PS: I suppose this also applies to SLE[SD] 10, but I haven't access to these.
Jan Engelhardt --
On Aug 11, 06 02:34:15 +0200, Martin Schröder wrote:
b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, ----------------------------
The boxed version comes without sources, so 3a doesn't doesn't apply and 3b must be followed.
Right. 3b we do.
But the written offer is nowhere in the box, just a pointer to it on the web (and this pointer is in places where people normally don't look (bottom of the box, somewhere on some CD)).
An 'offer' and a 'pointer to an offer' do not make much difference to me. And space on the box is scarce. We cannot put everything up front.
To conform with the GPL, at least the text ... from > http://www.novell.com/products/suselinux/source_code.html or words to that effect _must_ be somewhere _in_ the box and should be on every media.
Your '_must_' appears to be your personal opinion, I guess. (Telling people this prominently is not a bad idea, but not legally binding.) The GPL does not require a specific form of offer. For most of us, the mere concept 'hey, it comes from opensuse.org, so I know where the sources are' may be sufficent. For myself, I know that a number of Source-DVD's were shipped in order to fulfill the offer. So it actually works as is. cheers, Jw. -- o \ Juergen Weigert paint it green! __/ _=======.=======_ <V> | jw@suse.de wide open suse_/ _---|____________\/ \ | 0911 74053-508 (tm)__/ (____/ /\ (/) | __________________________/ _/ \_ vim:set sw=2 wm=8
2006/8/11, Juergen Weigert <jw@suse.de>:
On Aug 11, 06 02:34:15 +0200, Martin Schröder wrote:
b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least > > ----------------------------
The boxed version comes without sources, so 3a doesn't doesn't apply and 3b must be followed.
Right. 3b we do.
Is "accompany by" really so difficult to comprehend? If I have only the dvd, it is _not_ accompanied by any offer, if the offer is somewhere on the net.
But the written offer is nowhere in the box, just a pointer to it on the web (and this pointer is in places where people normally don't look (bottom of the box, somewhere on some CD)).
An 'offer' and a 'pointer to an offer' do not make much difference to me.
Please ask a lawyer. Or even easier, ask the FSF.
And space on the box is scarce. We cannot put everything up front.
To conform with the GPL, at least the text ... from > http://www.novell.com/products/suselinux/source_code.html or words to that effect _must_ be somewhere _in_ the box and should be on every media.
Your '_must_' appears to be your personal opinion, I guess.
No, I actually asked the FSF (but didn't mention names). Really, is it so difficult for you to put the information from http://www.novell.com/products/suselinux/source_code.html in /README and in the manual? That's all I'm asking. Best Martin
"Martin Schröder" <martin@oneiros.de> writes:
Really, is it so difficult for you to put the information from http://www.novell.com/products/suselinux/source_code.html in /README and in the manual? That's all I'm asking.
I'll take care of the README next week once I'm back at the office. The manual is also an idea, we'll discuss... Andreas -- Andreas Jaeger, aj@suse.de, http://www.suse.de/~aj/ SUSE Linux Products GmbH, Maxfeldstr. 5, 90409 Nürnberg, Germany GPG fingerprint = 93A3 365E CE47 B889 DF7F FED1 389A 563C C272 A126
But the written offer is nowhere in the box, just a pointer to it on the web (and this pointer is in places where people normally don't look (bottom of the box, somewhere on some CD)).
An 'offer' and a 'pointer to an offer' do not make much difference to me.
What if someone (intentional or not) removes or modifiers the offer at the pointer?
And space on the box is scarce. We cannot put everything up front.
The 10.1 box has plenty of space left (in the 'thickness' dimension), roughly the size of another manual same size as the current one. If I take a guess, I'd say if one removed the 10.1 maunal, a 9.x user manual would almost fit in. Jan Engelhardt --
Jan Engelhardt a écrit :
The 10.1 box has plenty of space left (in the 'thickness' dimension), roughly the size of another manual same size as the current one. If I take a guess, I'd say if one removed the 10.1 maunal, a 9.x user manual would almost fit in.
Honestly I think the point is good. the link is really well hidden :-). I don't think this is intentional, may be fill a bugzilla report and fix this for 10.2 (that's easy) jdd -- http://www.dodin.net http://dodin.org/galerie_photo_web/expo/index.html http://lucien.dodin.net http://fr.susewiki.org/index.php?title=Gérer_ses_photos
participants (5)
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Andreas Jaeger -
Jan Engelhardt -
jdd -
Juergen Weigert -
Martin Schröder