-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hi Chad, great you chime in on this. However, I think if you do what you are saying should there not be an obligation to change at least the name of the "product".
Also, I do read the LGPL differently, "There's nothing in the LGPL saying the source code has to be offered by the distributor, merely that it is "published" - which, of course, OpenOffice.org's code *is* published." is contradicted by "4. You may copy and distribute the Library (or a portion or derivative of it, under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange." Only in case your distribution is online download are you allowed to offer the source also online (but in the same place and with the same access as the binary. See "If distribution of object code is made by offering access to copy from a designated place, then offering equivalent access to copy the source code from the same place satisfies the requirement to distribute the source code, even though third parties are not compelled to copy the source along with the object code." I think the FSF just went after Linux distributions (under GPL) who thought if they simply repackaged Debian et. al. they did not need to offer a source repository, because it is published by someone, somewhere. That does not seem to satisfy the obligation. Kind regards, Kaj Chad Smith wrote: > On 8/5/06, André Wyrwa <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> >> However, the one thing that concerns me here... does the LGPL not >> require mention of the original authors? And does it not require >> publishing the source? I can't find any reference to OOo on the page nor >> any mention of the source. But i might just be under a wrong impression >> concerning what the LGPL actually sais. >> > > The original authors are mentioned in the copyright information that is > actually a part of the program itself. So unless the > www-openoffice.orgpeople have changed the software - it's mentioned. > > If they did change the software, (which, of course, they are free to do), > then, according to the LGPL - they don't have to be LGPLed. In other > words, > much like Sun takes OpenOffice.org and turns it into StarOffice, which is > not open source, anyone can take OpenOffiice.org and turn it into another > program - which can be liscenced however they choose. They don't actually > have to alter anything to make it a different program. They can just > rebrand it. Logo and trademark considerations are a different matter. But > just going off the LGPL - there's nothing stopping me from distributing > OpenOffice.org Plus as a propriatary program that has nothing added but a > few extra zeros in the binary. > > But they wouldn't have to do that. There's nothing in the LGPL saying the > source code has to be offered by the distributor, merely that it is > "published" - which, of course, OpenOffice.org's code *is* published. The > simple fact is, OpenOffice.org itself has links to OpenOffice.org built > into > the software, so if I misunderstood the LGPL, and the source code *has* to > be offered, then the links in the software itself cover that. > > If you don't know what the LGPL says, you can read it here: > > http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html > > Or you could read about what it means on the OpenOffice.org website. > > http://www.openoffice.org/FAQs/license-change.html > - -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://conficio.blogspot.com/ ================================================ | We teach software one screencast at a time | ================================================ http://www.conficio.com/ Tel: +1 (781) 632 5773 - Fax: +1 (781) 207 9159 Conficio P.O.Box 761062, Melrose, MA 02176 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.5 (MingW32) iD8DBQFE1LdARDUvrJRNjTARAtWVAJ9mUcL41IkTPLIsZ5U+T5MBXMJBCgCdHe6z a6WxPSHYpOQ8bqiSzxm2Ozk= =6S66 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
