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From: mjm@foster.avid.oz (Mike McBain)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: Cheapest way to Unix program developement
Summary: GNU slagged off again. Wake UP!!
Keywords: Unix, GNUCC, GCC, 386
Message-ID: <634@foster.avid.oz>
Date: 15 Jan 90 12:33:01 GMT
References: <1271@island.uu.net> <2711@draken.nada.kth.se>
Organization: Avid Systems Pty Ltd, Australia
Lines: 31

In article <2711@draken.nada.kth.se>, perand@nada.kth.se (Per Andersson) writes:
> [...material deleted...]. And if you
> use GNU libraries you have committed to give away your sourcecode and
> your program. Please read the GNU copyleft. You might find that spending
> the extra bucks on the PDK is not such a bad idea.

Yes, please do read the GNU copyleft. Then you will realise that Mr Andersson
has not done so and is writing a lot of nonsense. This kind of inflammatory
statement keeps coming up time and time again about GNU software. You do 
not have to give away your programs at all. All that is required is that if
you make enhancements to the _GNU_ programs (gcc, gas, etc.) you can
not make them proprietary. 

When you consider the number of people who have benefited from GNU, it's
really a shame that so many people just want to keep putting the boot in.
For heaven's sake, guys. The only real difference between gcc and anyone
else's C compiler is that you don't have to pay for gcc and you get source.
In return, FSF insist that you can't sell or give away _their_product_
without also including source code. If you make a binary which includes
your enhancements, you have to provide the source, or access to the source,
of those enhancements. It's fair, and it helps everyone.

FINALLY. Read the copyleft yourself. If you have a problem with it,
don't use FSF programs. But don't rely on Mr Andersson (or me, for that 
matter 8} ) to tell you what it means.

-- 
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Mike McBain,	   	    ACSnet: mjm@foster.avid.oz
Avid Systems Pty Ltd,	    Tel: +61 3 534 2293         FAX: +61 3 534 0153
St Kilda, Australia 3182    UUCP: {hplabs,uunet}!munnari!foster.avid.oz!mjm
D