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From: Robert Dewar <robert_dewar@my-dejanews.com>
Subject: Re: GPL and "free" software (was: air traffic control software)
Date: 1999/04/23
Date: 1999-04-23T00:00:00+00:00	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <7foo6s$qbm$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 7fl9q5$ab7@drn.newsguy.com

In article <7fl9q5$ab7@drn.newsguy.com>,
  bill@nospam wrote:
> In article <7fl5ac$9sh$1@news2.tor.accglobal.net>, "Terry
> says...
> I also think that someone working on opensource code,
> will try harder
> to make their code better, for the simple reason, is that
> a lot of people will be looking at it.

One more point here. To me open source code MUST be well
documented, or the point of open source is lost. The GPL
can only require sources to be made available, not good
quality sources, but the spirit behind the GPL requires
that the sources be accessible.

One could meet the letter of the GPL by providing
obfuscated sources with no comments, but if all your
assignment statements look like

OOOO000OO0OOOO := O0000O000OO000O0 + O0000O0O00000;

with no comments, I think most people would agree that you
have not *really* makde the sources available.

Similarly if you supply a parser which has giant tables
of LRK junk, without supplying the programs that built
the tables, you might meet the letter of the GPL
requirement but definitely not the spirit.

I once worked on a compiler project where the contract had
a clause forbidding the use of any table driven techniques.
Why? Because on a previous project which required source
delivery, the contractor had done just that (delivered
LALR parsing tables without the tool that built them!)

Robert Dewar

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  reply	other threads:[~1999-04-23  0:00 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 162+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
1999-04-20  0:00 air traffic control software Terry J. Westley
1999-04-21  0:00 ` Kevin Rigotti
1999-04-21  0:00   ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-21  0:00     ` GPL and "free" software (was: air traffic control software) Terry J. Westley
1999-04-21  0:00       ` bill
1999-04-23  0:00         ` Robert Dewar [this message]
1999-04-23  0:00           ` Tom Moran
1999-04-24  0:00             ` Florian Weimer
1999-04-25  0:00               ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-26  0:00                 ` GPL and "free" software Nick Roberts
1999-04-26  0:00                   ` Tim Smith
1999-04-26  0:00                   ` Florian Weimer
1999-04-26  0:00                   ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-26  0:00                     ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-26  0:00                       ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-26  0:00                         ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-27  0:00                           ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-26  0:00                             ` Tim Smith
1999-04-27  0:00                             ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-27  0:00                               ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-27  0:00                           ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-27  0:00                             ` David Kastrup
1999-04-27  0:00                             ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-27  0:00                               ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-27  0:00                                 ` Joshua E. Rodd
     [not found]                                   ` <7g5qgg$n7t@www.inetnow.net>
1999-04-28  0:00                                     ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-28  0:00                                       ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-28  0:00                                         ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-29  0:00                                           ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29  0:00                                             ` David Starner
1999-04-29  0:00                                               ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29  0:00                                             ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-29  0:00                                               ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-30  0:00                                                 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-05-05  0:00                                               ` Richard E. Hawkins Esq.
1999-05-05  0:00                                                 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-05  0:00                                                   ` Richard E. Hawkins Esq.
1999-05-06  0:00                                                     ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-06  0:00                                                       ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-06  0:00                                                         ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-06  0:00                                                           ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-06  0:00                                                             ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-06  0:00                                                               ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-06  0:00                                                                 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-06  0:00                                                                   ` Roger Espel Llima
1999-05-07  0:00                                                                     ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-07  0:00                                                                       ` dennison
1999-05-07  0:00                                                                       ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-06  0:00                                                         ` Robert Dewar
     [not found]                                             ` <7gdv6m$1fid$1@Mercury.mcs.net>
1999-05-03  0:00                                               ` [O/T 4 cla] " Joshua E. Rodd
     [not found]                                                 ` <7gkmt5$e8t@www.inetnow.net>
1999-05-03  0:00                                                   ` Joshua E. Rodd
     [not found]                                                     ` <7gnb7u$hlu@www.inetnow.net>
1999-05-04  0:00                                                       ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-05  0:00                                                         ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-05  0:00                                                           ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-06  0:00                                                             ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-08  0:00                                                               ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-08  0:00                                                                 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-10  0:00                                                                   ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-11  0:00                                                                     ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-10  0:00                                                                       ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-11  0:00                                                                         ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-11  0:00                                                                           ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-12  0:00                                                                             ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-11  0:00                                                                     ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-10  0:00                                                                       ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-04  0:00                                                   ` James Youngman
1999-05-06  0:00                                                     ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-04  0:00                                                 ` James Youngman
1999-05-06  0:00                                                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-06  0:00                                             ` Robert A Duff
1999-05-06  0:00                                               ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-07  0:00                                                 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-05-08  0:00                                                   ` dewarr
1999-05-18  0:00                                                     ` Joshua E. Rodd
     [not found]                                       ` <7g7ro3$q91@www.inetnow.net>
1999-04-28  0:00                                         ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-28  0:00                                         ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-29  0:00                                           ` Robert Dewar
     [not found]                                             ` <7g8ip8$skl@www.inetnow.net>
1999-04-29  0:00                                               ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-29  0:00                                                 ` [Offtopic for cl.ada] " Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-30  0:00                                                 ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-30  0:00                                                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29  0:00                                             ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-29  0:00                                               ` Aidan Skinner
1999-05-08  0:00                                           ` dewarr
1999-04-28  0:00                                 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-28  0:00                                   ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-28  0:00                                     ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-29  0:00                                       ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29  0:00                                         ` Robert A Duff
1999-04-29  0:00                                           ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-28  0:00                                     ` Samuel Mize
1999-04-29  0:00                                       ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-28  0:00                                     ` Samuel Mize
1999-04-29  0:00                                     ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-29  0:00                                     ` Fraser Wilson
1999-04-29  0:00                                       ` Ed Avis
1999-04-29  0:00                                         ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-30  0:00                                           ` Ed Avis
1999-04-29  0:00                                         ` David Starner
1999-04-29  0:00                                           ` Ed Avis
1999-04-29  0:00                                             ` David Starner
1999-04-30  0:00                                               ` Ed Avis
1999-04-30  0:00                                                 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-30  0:00                                                   ` Ed Avis
     [not found]                                                     ` <R5qW2.242$jw4.22063@burlma1-snr2>
     [not found]                                                       ` <372ADEED.D907754@doc.ic.ac.uk>
1999-05-03  0:00                                                         ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-05-04  0:00                                                           ` Ed Avis
1999-05-04  0:00                                                             ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-04  0:00                                                               ` Ed Avis
1999-05-04  0:00                                                                 ` Peter Seebach
1999-05-04  0:00                                                                 ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-08  0:00                                                                   ` dewarr
1999-05-04  0:00                                                         ` Alan Braggins
1999-05-01  0:00                                                 ` Phil Hunt
1999-05-02  0:00                                                   ` Andy Isaacson
1999-05-03  0:00                                                     ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-02  0:00                                                   ` Ed Avis
1999-05-02  0:00                                                     ` Phil Hunt
1999-05-02  0:00                                                       ` Ed Avis
1999-05-03  0:00                                                         ` dennison
1999-05-02  0:00                                                     ` Ole-Hjalmar Kristensen
1999-04-29  0:00                                             ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29  0:00                                             ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-29  0:00                                         ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-30  0:00                                     ` spblunt
1999-04-30  0:00                                       ` David Kastrup
1999-04-27  0:00                           ` spblunt
1999-04-27  0:00                             ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-26  0:00                   ` spblunt
1999-04-26  0:00                     ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-26  0:00                     ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-26  0:00                     ` Tim Smith
1999-04-26  0:00                       ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-26  0:00                       ` Kenneth P. Turvey
1999-04-27  0:00                         ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-27  0:00                           ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-02  0:00                             ` Mitch Blevins
1999-05-02  0:00                               ` Sam Holden
1999-05-03  0:00                                 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-27  0:00                       ` Phil Hunt
1999-04-27  0:00                         ` David Kastrup
1999-04-27  0:00                           ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-27  0:00                             ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-05-05  0:00                             ` Richard E. Hawkins Esq.
1999-04-27  0:00                           ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-26  0:00                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-26  0:00                   ` Phil Hunt
1999-04-27  0:00                     ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-27  0:00                       ` Ronald Cole
1999-04-26  0:00                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-23  0:00           ` GPL and "free" software (was: air traffic control software) Larry Kilgallen
1999-04-23  0:00             ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-23  0:00         ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-21  0:00       ` dennison
     [not found] ` <DXqW2.244$jw4.22256@burlma1-snr2>
     [not found]   ` <7gdln1$vna$1@jetsam.uits.indiana.edu>
     [not found]     ` <372ADFBD.4F4C241B@doc.ic.ac.uk>
1999-05-01  0:00       ` GPL and "free" software Lynn Winebarger
     [not found]       ` <7gff2f$8o2@www.inetnow.net>
1999-05-01  0:00         ` Ed Avis
1999-05-03  0:00         ` Joshua E. Rodd
     [not found]       ` <m2zp3pat3q.fsf@mailhost.neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de>
1999-05-03  0:00         ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-05-04  0:00           ` Ed Avis
1999-05-04  0:00           ` Larry Kilgallen
1999-05-03  0:00     ` Barry Margolin
     [not found] ` <7gdd9e$36l$1@flotsam.uits.indiana.edu>
     [not found]   ` <372ADF48.B3C88507@doc.ic.ac.uk>
1999-05-04  0:00     ` Nick Roberts
1999-05-07  0:00       ` Robert Dewar
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