Date: Sat, 15 Apr 1995 08:18:26 -0400
From: dj (DJ Delorie)
To: turnbull AT shako DOT sk DOT tsukuba DOT ac DOT jp
Cc: DJGPP AT SUN DOT SOE DOT CLARKSON DOT EDU
Subject: Re: Possible FAQ: Distributing djgpp (or any other large package)


> anonymous FTP at the URLs in my .sig.  And so are the sources (unless
> I've screwed up the updates---Tony's internal usage doesn't violate
> CopyLeft, we think, so he doesn't provide the source package, but my
> public distribution clearly requires source), in which case somebody
> *please* tell me before the FSF lawyers show up :-)

If someone else has access to the binary-only area you maintain, yup,
you've got to store the sources there also.  You can choose who can
download the files from your area, but anyone that you choose to let
get the binaries you are required to let them get the sources the same way.

> No, it says it must be available in the same way.  On demand.  For the
> price of media.  (I'm not sure about this last, I think that's
> implied---you can charge as much as you want for the original
> distribution, but if the sources are not included you can only charge
> for the media, shipping, and nominal handling if they are requested.)

It's not implied, it's stated.  You're not allowed to charge more than
distribution costs for sources (i.e. you can't profit from them, but
you can recover your costs).  It is implied that you can charge
whatever you want for the binaries, though.

> Um, what's cheaper than free?  Get Linux.  OK, if yer runnin' Maxen

Well, it's not free if you have to buy a PC to replace the one that
isn't running your accounting package any more, plus buy a network
infrastructure. ;-)

> When I first looked into LapLink, I believe it had the standard
> idiotic licensing, which required you to buy LapLink for each computer
> you wanted to transfer to.  Have they fixed this bug?  I don't know

DOS 6.22 comes with a lap-link equivalent (sort of) for free, without
cable.  It can use a null-modem cable; I don't know about parallel.

> If "someone" isn't on call within the same amount of time as for the
> original installation to provide Mr.X with the sources, this is a
> copyright violation.  Don't forget that aspect in applications,

I don't know if time is specified in the GPL.  S/He just has to be
available with the same cable.  It is an interesting question, though.