GPL getting tougher on patent deals

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You're wrong, it's not a restriction

The "restriction" you are criticizing only applies if you want to distribute the application or product that you make by including GPL'ed code. Only in that case, you must provide the source at the same time.

But there's NO restriction on the way you can use the GPLed code privately. You can modify it as you want and even use it with proprietary code as long as this is for your own private usage.

No the GPL gives NO RESTRCITION to users. And it is NON-DISCRIMINATING. Every one can use it, even for commercial purpose.

If you are a private organisation using GPLed software in your site, there's absolutely nothing wrong if you've modified it without publishing your modifications. So you can use it to create a corporate web site, exposed to the public, as long as what you distribute on your website does not contain any part of this code.

If you distribute any GPL code on your website, then you must provide its corresponding sources, but you don't have to distribute at the same time the sources of the softwares you are using but not distributing.

Your private modifications that you don't want to distribute remain yours. You have the author's right on these modifications, even if you choose to include them in a distribution; the GPL mandates that you include a history for your modifications and that you sign them, but you are not allowed to remove the original copyright covering the parts that you have not created yourself. So other users can trace which change you made, and decide themselves if they wnt to include them or not. The GPL forbids anonymous contributions that can damange the reputation of the initial contributor, and forbids removing contribution histories from the sources.

Posted by: PhilippeV   Posted on: 03/29/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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