Must publish vs. must supply

[Chris F Clark]

In reply to:
> Clearly the FSF has decided that hording of software by corporations
> (as long as they don't distribute it) should be one of their freedoms.

John Cowan wrote:

> The same applies to individuals.  Do you want to be required to publish
> every little dink you make to GPLed software?  How often?  With what
> granularity?  After every change?  After every CVS commit?

The answer is yes.  I think that if I am using a modified version of
an open source program, then I should be compelled to make that
version should available if someone else wants it too, even if it is a
"little dink".

> I continue to think the GPL's attitude sensible: if you distribute the
> program, you must distribute the source.

Yes, it is a sensible attitude.  However, it is not the only sensible
one and it is not necessarily appropriate for all software (or all
authors).  That is why there are different licenses.  In particular,
as an author, I am more concerned with derived works than distribution
and I want a license that makes that (creating a derived work) the
point of triggering the enforcement clauses.  And since that is one of
a copyright authors reserved rights, it is within my rights to chose
that as the point of enforcement--I'm just waiting for an open source
(or free software) license which does so.  I don't expect other
authors necessarily to share that view.  I'm not trying to convince
anyone that it is a superiour point of view.  It's just my view.

And to my mind there is imprisonment, software has been created and it
has not been made available to others (that software is imprisoned,
and when that software is based upon software I have written, my
software is imprisoned within it).  That is my point of view and that
is what I would like the license my software is released under to
reflect.  You do not have to share that point of view.  You can
release (or use) software that is licensed in ways more conformant to
your own point of view.

-Chris Clark

Off topic personal request: please don't cc me on replies to my posts
unless you have reason to believe that I have not gotten the copy
posted to the list (as it seems everyone on this list is in the habit
of doing).  It simply clutters my mailbox.  Of course, that's just my
view of netiquette, which again may be on the fringe.....
 
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