Discussion on GPL v2 as used by TCL

[tinypoodle]

Pats:

A Practical Guide to GPL Compliance: http://www.softwarefreedom.org/resources/2008/compliance-guide.html

HTH

[aus9]

hi

I have no skills to help manage a small distro,

but as tinypoddle provided an enjoyable link.....I would like to make a few comments.

1) Mepis got into trouble, in the past as here is overview
http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS9113053102.html

2) In the compliance guide section 3.4 they request distros not have a "build guru"

IMHO.....this seems to be arrogant........If you are building a re-distribution of GPL kernel etc, you can not demand everyone learn your build way. The number of helpers you have are likely to drop off. IMHO most helpers will say....something like....I will help with the kernel or I will help with the windowmanager etc.

3) In the compliance guide....4.1.2  Option (b): The Offer
It mentions the possible cost of a cd.

In the first link of mine the Mepis founder provided dvds at a certain cost.

One wonders if that cost is excessive?

But if you have paid someone to make some dvds.......as a production run of a small number.....it seems to me to be reasonable that you pay a higher cost per unit than someone who orders a few million copies.

It therefore seems unreasonable....to me....to require (that entity) to provide you with all commercial-in-confidence contracts to prove that cost quote is reasonable.

4) BTW so much for the myth spead by Linux users that LInux was "created" on the net.....when GPL compliance will not recognise net source but require media source compliance. (I am guilty of spreading this rumour to my MS friends)




regards

[ixbrian]

I guess I'm not understanding what the big deal with this is.   The GPL gives you 100% freedom to run the software for any purpose without restriction.  

However, if you would like to distribute GPL software, then you must follow the simple rules that you have agreed to by distributing the software.   One of these rules being that if you are distributing GPL software that you have the source code available to distribute as well.  It doesn't work or make sense to simply allow people distributing GPL code to tell other people they need to get the source from an upstream project (which could tell you they don't have the source code either and to get it from their upstream project, and so on; it just wouldn't work).  

In my opinion, the Tiny Core team has done an excellent job at making all of the source code and build scripts easily available.   If you would like to remaster and redistribute Tiny Core, simply go to the mirror and download the source code for Tiny Core Base (which is conveniently all under a single directory) and then download the source code for each extension (which is easy as well since each extension has a source directory).   If you have rebuilt any packages, then simply save that source code you compiled.  Tar up all this source code and put it on an FTP site.   It really isn't that big of a deal.  

In my opinion, the key thing to keep in mind is that the rules of the GPL are there to ensure that each user of the software has freedom.  This freedom is what has enabled Linux / open source software to do so well in my opinion.  

It's like the requirement that build scripts be included with the source code.   At first glance, this might seem like an unreasonable hassle.   But what kind of freedom would the user have if the GPL software required a complex build process / script, and the person distributing the software to you refused to give you the build script.  Now you would no longer have the freedom to take the code and modify it, and if you can't compile it from source (because you don't have the build script) it really defeats all of the benefits of open source software.   This is one of the key principles of the GPL.  

So instead of looking at the GPL distribution requirements as a big hassle, look on the other side.  Look at how the GPL distribution requirements help you have the freedom to easily take Tiny Core or other GPL projects and modify them to suit your needs.  There is a good reason why the GPL is the #1 open source license in use today.