Re: Possible GPL violation in package distribution

Valdis.Kletnieks(a)vt.edu wrote: Hmm. The GPL says: : 3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, : under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of : Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following: [snipped] : b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three : years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your : cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete : machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be : distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium : customarily used for software interchange; or, AFAICT, we don't actually have to provide source, just offer to provide it upon request. Unless such a request is almost certain to be made, there doesn't seem much point in expending effort before the fact. And furthermore: : The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for : making modifications to it. For an executable work, complete source : code means all the source code for all modules it contains, plus any : associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to : control compilation and installation of the executable. I don't see any mention of the actual compiler in there. The term "scripts used to control compilation" seems (to me) to refer specifically to things other than the actual compilation tools. I'm sure that I recall someone arguing that this was a loophole in the GPL. -- Glynn Clements <glynn(a)sensei.co.uk&gt;