HP-41 modules and GPL

[hth]

I lift this out as a separate thread. The original discussion is in http://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-10405.html in the "Not quite HP Calculators - but related" area.

As there has been a lot of discussions about the GPL license in that area of the forum recently and I mentioned that there are many HP-41 modules released under GPL, to which Ángel responded:

(04-02-2018 07:35 AM)Ángel Martin Wrote:  I'm not aware of any GPL-bound module in the set, but according to some forum members it seems I don't really understand what GPL is about.

FWIW all my modules are "FREEWARE". I understand that. Nuff said.

I do understand that you are very generous as well as extremely productive, and I am very thankful for that.

But if we look at it closer on the overall picture, there may be an issue in how the GPL license is used in this community. I will now make you all aware by taking a quick (and most likely incomplete) tour around the TOS DVD:

Sandmath_44 4x4 from February 2015
Page 2
"No commercial usage of any kind is allowed."
"Published under the GNU software licence agreement."

Does putting it on a 41CL board count as commercial usage? It does cost money.

Library 4, Development notes
Page 2
"Published under the GNU software licence agreement."

AMC_OS/X
"Published under the GNU software licence agreement.
Original authors retain all copyrights, and should be mentioned in writing by any part utilizing this material. No commercial usage of any kind is allowed."

David Assembler
Has a License.txt with GPL 2 license

Eramco MLDL
Has a License.txt with GPL 2 license

NFCROM (ProtoTECH)
Has a License.txt with GPL 2 license

CCD Module
Has a License.txt with GPL 2 license

TOOLBOX ROM
Has a License.txt with GPL 2 license

Landnav
Has a License.txt with GPL 2 license

Sandbox
Has a License.txt with GPL 2 license

Knights Tour
Says "GNU General Public License" in its Copyright.txt, but there is not proper license provided.

ML-rom
Has a License.txt with GPL 2 license

ALPHA ROM
Has a License.txt with GPL 2 license

41Z
Has a License.txt with GPL 2 license

Hepax
Has a License.txt with GPL 2 license

Chess module
States "This program is distributed under the GNU GPL Licence Selling prohibited."

ISENE ROM
It is released under the GNU General Public License v. 3.

Has Steen Petersen provided the Hepax under GPL or was it someone else? If he did, then I would like to get the source code.

The point I try to make here is that GPL comes with obligations for the middle man, the one who distributes a collection of ROMs, as (s)he needs to make the user aware of that they have received GPL software and are entitled to request the source code.

If we do not want to go through these chores, we can always look in another direction and pretend nothing has happened (violating the GPL license). We can also learn to try and use a more appropriate license on our efforts. Maybe some of you embrace GPL and think it is worth the trouble caused (to others), then I respect your opinion, but I will not agree.

I am all in favour of taking good care of the source code and making it available, but I do not want to impose a lot of burden on unaware people.

Håkan