Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!rutgers!super.upenn.edu!linc.cis.upenn.edu!brant From: brant@linc.cis.upenn.edu (Brant Cheikes) Newsgroups: comp.sys.att Subject: Re: binary Gnu Emacs distribution for Unix PC Message-ID: <1872@super.upenn.edu> Date: Wed, 26-Aug-87 15:24:49 EDT Article-I.D.: super.1872 Posted: Wed Aug 26 15:24:49 1987 Date-Received: Fri, 28-Aug-87 06:30:03 EDT References: <1855@super.upenn.edu> <2826@hoptoad.uucp> Sender: news@super.upenn.edu Reply-To: brant@linc.cis.upenn.edu (Brant Cheikes) Organization: University of Pennsylvania Lines: 44 Keywords: Gnu Emacs UNIXPC PC7300 3B1 Summary: it's not a problem In article <2826@hoptoad.uucp> farren@hoptoad.UUCP (Mike Farren) writes: >I'm basically in favor of the idea of GnuEmacs on the Unix PC, but the >idea of distributing the binaries has a flaw: the license agreement >for GnuEmacs specifically states that anyone who distributes it MUST >provide sources on request. You are both right and wrong. You are right in that I must provide sources upon request, according to the Gnu Emacs General Distribution License. You are wrong in thinking that poses a problem to the distribution of the binaries only. Consider this excerpt from the Gnu license: 3. You may copy and distribute GNU Emacs or any portion of it in compiled, executable or object code form under the terms of Paragraphs 1 and 2 above provided that you do the following: a) cause each such copy of GNU Emacs to be accompanied by the corresponding machine-readable source code; or b) cause each such copy of GNU Emacs to be accompanied by a written offer, with no time limit, to give any third party free (except for a nominal shipping charge) machine readable copy of the corresponding source code; or c) in the case of a recipient of GNU Emacs in compiled, executable or object code form (without the corresponding source code) you shall cause copies you distribute to be accompanied by a copy of the written offer of source code which you received along with the copy of GNU Emacs. 3(b) and (c) are the keys. I will simply OFFER to provide sources on request (and will in fact provide the info as to how to get the stuff directly from the FSF). But I can still distribute binaries only. As for sources, just ask, and you get. No problem. It would be really stupid to be forced to provide sources to people who, for example, don't have the development kit and therefore could make absolutely no use of them. Brant ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brant Cheikes University of Pennsylvania ARPA: brant@linc.cis.upenn.edu Computer and Information Science =============================================================================