Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!gatech!bloom-beacon!bu-cs!tower
From: tower@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Leonard H. Tower Jr.)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: GNU software rights (was Re: general class definitions)
Message-ID: <24158@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: 29 Jul 88 22:28:08 GMT
References: <8807200438.AA24048@m.cs.uiuc.edu> <6590058@hplsla.HP.COM> <1988Jul25.194637.22208@utzoo.uucp>
Reply-To: tower@bu-it.bu.edu (Leonard H. Tower Jr.)
Followup-To: comp.lang.c++
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In article <1988Jul25.194637.22208@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
|In article <6590058@hplsla.HP.COM> glenne@hplsla.HP.COM (Glenn Engel) writes:
|>  ... This will require you to offer for copying
|>  costs, all your source code.  I would like to see this restriction
|>  removed from libg++ so that it indeed will grow and grOW and GROW to
|>  be usable by everyone.
|
|Don't bet on it.  

Agreed.  This restriction will not be lifted.  Even so, the software
will grow and grow and grow, and will be usable by everyone who wishes
to freely share software.

Note that this will prevent several distinct proprietary variations from
appearing, with no easy legal way to combine the best features of each.

|This is an ideological issue for RMS (and others); he
|wants ALL source to be available for copying costs.  In fact he considers
|any other policy not merely misguided but evil.  I'd be very surprised to
|see any compromises made on this.  Buying into this ideology is the price
|you pay for using the software.  (Betcha thought the stuff was free!)

What Henry has say is essentially correct, though it slant is wrong.
I would say:  "Buying into this ideology is the price you pay for
contributing improvements to the software.  (The stuff is as free as
the neighbor who passes it on to you wishes to make it)."

RMS wants source code to be freely sharable among hackers and users.
He has explained his rationale in the GNU Manifesto.

The key requirement isn't the magnitude of the distribution costs, but
that source always accompanies executables, with no restriction on
further distribution of the source.

The success of GNU software (e.g. GNU Emacs, gcc and g++) certainly
demonstrates that the approach has merit and that a community of
sharers of freed software is viable.

Those wanting a copy of the Manifesto or more information about the
GNU Project can either:

- start up a copy of GNU Emacs and type:
	C-h C-w C-x C-v GNU RET
- or send an e-mail request to the project's inquiry address:
	gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu 	or	ucbvax!prep.ai.mit.edu!gnu

enjoy -len