GPL and Linux/BSD InstallFest

Rick Moen rick@linuxmafia.com
Fri, 17 Aug 2001 20:21:05 -0700


begin  Alan DuBoff quotation:

> Understood, and I was just curious how it is installed, in which
> directories.  The compiler is GPL I think (maybe I'm wrong with that
> assumption), and it ships as tools of OSX. The GUI is proprietary, so
> must be seperated also. I was just curious <sound of ducking>

I see nothing in the GNU GPL that discusses "separation" or directories.

The relevant issue arises when/if one (1) creates what copyright law
terms a "derivative work" having licensing incompatible with the terms
of included third-party GPL code, and then (2) distributes the result
in public.

Thought-experiment:  1. Find a tarball of the pine MUA.  2.  Put a copy 
in every directory on your machine that has anything whatsoever to do
with gcc.  3. Tar up a copy of all such directories, and list it for
public ftp.

4.  Re-read the GNU GPL v.2.  Ask yourself:  Have you just violated 
any portion thereof, in steps 2 or 3?

Nope.

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