Path: utzoo!telly!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!mcgill-vision!bloom-beacon!shelby!neon!neon!gumby From: gumby@Gang-of-Four.Stanford.EDU (David Vinayak Wallace) Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss Subject: Copyleftability Message-ID: Date: 19 Dec 89 04:41:05 GMT References: <8255@stiatl.UUCP> Sender: USENET News System Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University Lines: 22 In-Reply-To: meo@stiatl.UUCP's message of 18 Dec 89 23:49:12 GMT Date: 18 Dec 89 23:49:12 GMT From: meo@stiatl.UUCP (Miles O'Neal) And this is (IMO) a bit absurd. If I use the gnu compiler, and link to the gnu compiler, then if I spend a year of effort to write something, I have no (legal, ie government monopoly, for those who bandy that term about so casually) way of ever making a cent off of that piece of software. The copyleft says "distribute" not sell. You can sell copylefted code. You just can't enjoin the recipient from redistributing it. Anyway, how often do you "link to the compiler?" If you change the compiler, I'm glad that change may be redistributed! Merely compiling your code with the compiler does not bring it under the copyleft. I choose to make my living writing software. Everything I see from Mr. Stallman's published writings & interviews (1) says he thinks that makes me a jackass, or a thief... RMS makes his living writing software. He does not say that you shouldn't -- in fact he encourages it.