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From: gudeman@arizona.edu (David Gudeman)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: The Selling of GNU Emacs
Message-ID: <2833@megaron.arizona.edu>
Date: Sat, 14-Nov-87 22:36:26 EST
Article-I.D.: megaron.2833
Posted: Sat Nov 14 22:36:26 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Nov-87 20:42:45 EST
References: <116@nexus.UUCP> <1947@briar.Philips.Com> <530@hqda-ai.UUCP> <10584@duke.cs.duke.edu> <1973@briar.Philips.Com>
Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson
Lines: 44
In-reply-to: rob@philabs.Philips.Com's message of 13 Nov 87 18:11:47 GMT


In article <1973@briar.Philips.Com> Rob Robertson writes:

   >THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!!  This is bloody well near to criminal libel,
   >because copyright violation IS a crime, and there is no truth to the
   >rumor that they were somehow trying to make illicit profits on GNU Emacs
   >and KCL.

   The ad said:
   BEGIN QUOTE
   ...
			 Including ALL SOURCE CODE
				 send $250

		    free shipping on all prepaid orders.
   END QUOTE
   ...
   bullshit.  they hacked wrote some elisp glue, and profiled KCL and
   decided to sell KCL and GNUemacs.  they mention nothing about
   modifications and nothing about speed increases...

If I were going to be abusive to someone in a public forum, I would at
least try to ensure that I knew what I was talking about.  You, Mr.
Robertson do not know what you are talking about.  In fact, you are
suffering from a common and severe misconception about the GNU
copyright.  There is _nothing_ in the GNU copyright that prevents
people from selling GNU software or modifications.  There is only the
restriction that source must be made available, and that derived
software must be under the GNU copyright.  The add you quoted states
that software is available, and there is no reason to think the
software is not under the GNU copyright.

Even if they didn't make any major modifications (its not clear
whether they did or not), they could sell _pure_ GNU Emacs as long as
they followed the copyright restrictions.

   ... gee, when do semi-ligit software houses "co-operate" with
   Stallman's free software ideas?  ...

Software houses "co-operate" with Stallman's free software ideas when
they improve Stallman's sofware and distribute the results freely.
Get the peanut butter out of your ears.  Stallman has said many times
that the "free" in his free software does _not_ refer to money, it
refers to free distribution.  Good grief, Stallman and the FSF sell
GNU software.