Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!ubc-cs!alberta!calgary!xenlink!blender!bruce
From: bruce@blender.UUCP (Bruce Thompson)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Questions about "Free Software Foundation" (long)
Message-ID: <110@blender.UUCP>
Date: 4 Oct 89 00:14:28 GMT
References: <6602@thor.acc.stolaf.edu> <110004@gore.com> <2247@munnari.oz.au>
Organization: Some apartment in downtown Calgary
Lines: 36
Summary: Read the first line.

You know, it's funny, but everyone seems to be bitching about apparent
obligations that the FSF *REQUIRE* you to be under simply for obtaining
Software from them.  Let's look at the first sentence where people
having been quoting:

	"You may distribute....."
	     ^^^

This does not say: "You MUST ...", it leaves it open! IF YOU CHOOSE to
distribute the software, THEN and ONLY THEN are you placed under
obligations.  IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO DISTRIBUTE the software THEN YOU ARE
UNDER NO OBLIGATIONS OF ANY KIND! So, if you make modifications which
you do not distribute, then you don't have to do anything! At the same
time, if you make modifications, you can at your option, distribute the
modified version, with full source, etc.  OR you can distribute the
original you received, with full source, etc.  The CONCEPT we're dealing
with here is simple.  The LEGALEZE which expresses this concept is
COMPLEX.  This should not be all that supprising, as legal documents are
intended to precisely define the term of a contract, which may require a
lot of apparently useless verbiage. 

	Hope this helps,
	Bruce.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bruce Thompson
CAE Engineer, NovAtel Communications Ltd.
1020 64 Ave, N.E., Calgary, Alberta, CANADA

Disclaimer: I do not represent in any way the views/policies of my
employer, and often not even my own.

"There is no conclusive evidence of life after death.  But there is no
evidence of any sort against it.  Soon enough you will KNOW.  So why
fret about it?"
	- Lazarus Long