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To: Golden Eagle
And you have a perfect crystal ball into the mind of any judge in this country.

No, I know basic law. You are really reaching into the absurd on this one.

Here's a quick example. Let's say I decide to market a firewall to small businesses, beefier than the standard Linksys. I use a micro-ATX and install Linux and various GPL tools, as well as Apache. I write a small intranet application to configure and monitor the firewall. I do not comply with the GPL.

A couple years later, I get a letter from the FSF. I immediately comply by including the GPL source code on future shipments, post the source code to my web site, and email all my clients (who I already have on a mailing list) telling them it's there. I'm now off the hook, completely. Why? I didn't make a derivative work of GPL code, just redistributed that code intact. My software is only bundled with the GPL code.

Now let's say I did the same thing using Windows (I know it's an idiotic idea to do that for a firewall, but it's just for argument). Microsoft would probably bankrupt me.

But what if I'd modified that GPL code? That's where the only question in the GPL comes in. What is a derivative work? If I modified and redistributed, it's definitely derivative. Otherwise, it depends on how I link my libraries.

In any case, my work is my own, and I didn't want to release it under the GPL. But it is part of GPL software, so I cannot redistribute it without violating copyright. I now have a decision to make: remove the GPL code from the system or make my own code GPL in order to get a license. Nobody, not even the FSF (which is, BTW, relatively underfunded), can force me to decide one way or the other.

These are really questions people should consider before they choose any license to base their software on.

You have shown your complete misunderstanding of the GPL many times on this board. Either understand it or quit commenting on it.

183 posted on 06/21/2005 12:22:33 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: antiRepublicrat
You are really reaching into the absurd on this one.

Actually, my position is fully backed by the fact that anyone the FSF has targeted has had their code taken from them and released. If/when someone is ever able to buy their way out of it, your original claim that they can do so may have merrit. Until then, it will remain baseless.

184 posted on 06/21/2005 12:33:25 PM PDT by Golden Eagle
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