DM42

[matthiaspaul]

(01-08-2018 05:55 PM)Thomas Okken Wrote:  Not true. Link: DoesTheGPLRequireAvailabilityToPublic

EDIT: That's not exactly the link I was looking for.

Yep, that's about the distributors' right to charge a fee for source code distribution if they want to. They can charge a fee for the distribution or the media, and cannot be forced to provide this service also to non-customers. Quite reasonable, but a different scenario.

Quote:This one covers the DM42 source code situation: GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic.

gnu.org Wrote:The GPL does not require you to release your modified version, or any part of it. You are free to make modifications and use them privately, without ever releasing them. This applies to organizations (including companies), too; an organization can make a modified version and use it internally without ever releasing it outside the organization.

No surprises so far.

However, the following interpretation offered on gnu.org is quite interesting as it partially undermines what, in my understanding, is (or was?) part of the "virual" spirit of the GPL (boldface by me):

gnu.org Wrote:But if you release the modified version to the public in some way, the GPL requires you to make the modified source code available to the program's users, under the GPL.

I was living under the impression that anyone can do with GPLed code what they want, including modifying it, but that the source code of the derivative work must be made available to anyone who wants it when the derivative work is published as well.

As the GPL does not allow the exclusion of any kind of military use, very few of my own projects were ever licensed under the GPL, that's why so far I only studied the GPL 2 more thoroughly. Perhaps the terms have changed in newer versions.

From the GPL 2 section 2 and 3 (boldface by me):

GPL2 Wrote:2. You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion of it, thus forming a work based on the Program, and copy and distribute such modifications or work under the terms of Section 1 above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions:

a) [...]
b) You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License.
c) [...]
[...]
3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following:

a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,
b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,
c) Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer to distribute corresponding source code. (This alternative is allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you received the program in object code or executable form with such an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.)
[...]
If distribution of executable or object code is made by offering access to copy from a designated place, then offering equivalent access to copy the source code from the same place counts as distribution of the source code, even though third parties are not compelled to copy the source along with the object code.

Greetings,

Matthias