"David Schwartz" <davids@webmaster.com> said:
> > In response to DS:
>
> > > So is a Linux distribution "a whole which is a work based on the" Linux
> > > kernel? Would you argue that RedHat can't include proprietary
> > > software on
> > > the same CD as the Linux kernel? All the software on the CD,
> > > assuming it's
> > > Linux software, likewise extends the kernel through a
> > > well-defined boundary.
>
> > No, definitely not. If that were the case, SuSE and Lindows etc. etc.
> > would not be able to distribute proprietary software together with
> > GPL'ed software. The GPL calls this 'mere aggregation':
>
> > "In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the
> > Program with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a
> > volume of a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other
> > work under the scope of this License."
> But they're not just on the same CD. The additional work extends
> the Linux kernel and is useless without it (or without something that
> emulates it).
Just like Oracle, or Opera, or my sendmail binary, or a lot of other
stuff. That they would be useless without Linux doesn't make them GPL. The
GPL is quite clear; the head penguin also clarified that propietary modules
are OK.
Now can we please stop this? If there is something to discuss around this,
it is clearly _not_ kernel development.
-- Dr. Horst H. von Brand User #22616 counter.li.org Departamento de Informatica Fono: +56 32 654431 Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria +56 32 654239 Casilla 110-V, Valparaiso, Chile Fax: +56 32 797513 - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Jun 30 2003 - 22:00:18 EST