Re: Linus Speaks About KDE-Bashing

George (jirka@5z.com)
Sun, 12 Jul 1998 14:28:12 -0700

On Sun, Jul 12, 1998 at 12:43:10PM -0700, Tim Smith wrote:
> 1. So what happens if I try to GPL a program I write for Windows NT? I end
> up with a free software project dependent on a non-free product that you
> can't modify and is not free. The GPL allows this, under the "major
> components of the OS" exception, so there is no doubt that I can *legally*
> do this. Are you saying it is *morally* wrong for me to do so, and the free
> software community should reject my program and get upset if I use other
> people's free software in my free project for NT? If not, how is KDE
> different? My project is free GPL'ed software that runs on any system that
> has the proprietary non-free Windows NT installed, and KDE is free GPL'ed
> software that runs on any system that has the proprietary non-free Qt
> library installed. (Remember, I'm asking about a moral difference, not a
> legal difference, so let's not get into the issue of shared linking vs.
> static linking, and things like that).

last I heard, Windows-NT was normally distributed with Windows-NT ...

this is something different ... say you write something say libfoo.a ...
and make that proprietory ... then you take a GPLed program and make it use
libfoo.a ... stick both things on a CD and sell a few copies ... does this
make it legal ... NO ... unless you were the one writing the GPLed program,
in that case you get to do that ... but if you took someone elses program
(let's say the gimp) and make it use libfoo ... then you've got a problem

George

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George Lebl <jirka@5z.com> http://www.5z.com/jirka/
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          #!/bin/perl -sp0777i<X+d*lMLa^*lN%0]dsXx++lMlN/dsM0<j]dsj
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