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From: ok@cs.mu.oz.au (Richard O'Keefe)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Questions about "Free Software Foundation" (long)
Message-ID: <2312@munnari.oz.au>
Date: 6 Oct 89 06:41:04 GMT
References: <6602@thor.acc.stolaf.edu> <110004@gore.com> <2247@munnari.oz.au> <110@blender.UUCP>
Sender: news@cs.mu.oz.au
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In article <110@blender.UUCP>, bruce@blender.UUCP (Bruce Thompson) writes:
> 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.

You have completely misundertood the debate.
The point of the debate is that fear and uncertainty (however unwarranted)
about the copyleft has prevented people from contributing to the improvement
and dissemination of FSF programs, which defeats the aims of the FSF.

> IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO DISTRIBUTE the software THEN YOU ARE
> UNDER NO OBLIGATIONS OF ANY KIND!

This is not true.  The copyleft makes it clear that merely to make a copy
of the software constitutes accepting all the conditions of the copyleft:
	"By COPYING, distributing, or MODIFYING the Program (or any work
	based on the Program) you indicate your acceptance of this
	licence to do so, and ALL its terms and conditions."
Because I changed Bison so that it didn't need alloca(), that obliged me
to obey all the terms and conditions of the copyleft.  The whole point of
the debate was that my fear and uncertainty about the other terms meant that
I did not dare to do anything with my changes except sit on them.  But the
FSF is opposed to "Software hoarding"!

There is considerable legal uncertainty about what constitutes distribution.
If I have FSF object code on my system, and someone makes a copy without my
permission, have I "distributed" the code?  How hard must I try to prevent
unauthorised access?  If I run a mail relay site, and someone obtains an FSF
program by mail, with the mail being relayed through my site, have I copied
or distributed the program?  If I keep a copy of FSF sources in a public
FTP area on my machine, and someone makes changes to those sources without
my knowledge (and in doing so fails to "cause the modified files to carry
prominate notices stating" who changed the files and when), and a third
party picks up a copy of the modified files, am _I_ in violation of the
copyleft?

If I were running a machine which permitted general access via FTP or uucp,
I would not allow any FSF sources on that machine until I had _written_
confirmation from the FSF that they knew what precautions I intended to
take against unauthorised modifications and were satisfied with them.  I
don't for one moment suggest that they would demand anything unreasonable,
but with the present form of the copyleft there is no point in taking risks.