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Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 01:45:37 +0100
From: Kenn Humborg <kenn@linux.ie>
To: Paul Linehan <plinehan@yahoo.com>
Cc: ilug@linux.ie
Subject: Re: [ILUG] SUSE 8 disks? (thread changed slightly)
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    from plinehan@yahoo.com on Tue, Aug 13, 2002 at 01:40:21AM +0200
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On Tue, Aug 13, 2002 at 01:40:21AM +0200, Paul Linehan wrote:
> 
> Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> a écrit:
...
> > You're further confused if you think the GNU 
> > GPL gives you the right to get covered software
> > for free.  It does not.  
> 
> All I want is the OS and GNU apps. I was under
> the impression that for *_those_* all one
> needed was to pay for the media and not for the
> code itself?
> 
> Ai-je tort?
> 
> 
> > It provides that _if_ you've lawfully received
> > a copy of the covered binary version, you have
> > rights to also receive the matching source code.
> 
> My understanding was that binaries or whatever
> could be received for the cost of the media plus
> a token of one's appreciation (the latter being
> subject to agreement between the parties) - I was
> offering a bottle of wine plus maybe a pint or two
> and a chat for a copy - I don't know what the going
> rate is.

The GPL makes no stipulations about charging for binaries.
In fact, you can go get the sources for, say, GNU's /bin/true,
compile it yourself and try selling the resulting binary
for EUR 1000.  (And, with a good enough sales pitch, you
just might get away with it!)

However, what the GPL does stipulate is that you must 
provide the sources for that binary if asked.  So I might
buy it from you for EUR 1000, compile it myself and sell
that binary for EUR 1.  Of course, I'll need to provide
the sources to anyone that asks as well.  But, I just
might make money at this, since there might be a market of
10000 people who would pay 1 euro for the convenience of
getting a binary.

But then, John Looney would step in, buy it from me for
1 euro, burn it and the sources and some of his favourite
/bin/true patches on a CD and duplicate it for the cost of
the media or a cream bun, depending on how hungry he is.

You see, the GPL doesn't force the binaries to be zero-cost
(or cost-of-media), but it puts a really big hole in any
business plan that solely resells GPL software.  You _can_
charge for it if you want, but you bloody well better be
providing some value for that money, or you'll go out of
business faster than a dot-com in 2001.

And there are real ways to provide this value for money
(convenience of getting it on one CD, convenience of a
friendly installer, convenience of vendor-supplied updates,
convenience of having what lots of other people have,
posting a CD and paying a few euro is cheaper than downloading
over a modem, warm fuzzy feeling of getting something from
a "real" company, etc).

There will be segments of the market that will pay various
amounts for GPL software and there will be others that don't.
Thankfully, the GPL allows for both, _by_design_.  But the
source will always be free (or minimal cost).

Later,
Kenn


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