Well, these points all point to the problem areas of using the word
"depend." John's point seems to point out another troublesome matter that
the GPL language avoided. In fact, there are a number of reasons why a
special exception for an OS is quite appropriate.
rod
___________________________________
Rod Dixon
Visiting Assistant Professor of Law
Rutgers University School of Law
Camden
www.cyberspaces.org
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
General Counsel
FreeBuyers Net, LLC
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Seth David Schoen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Seth David
> Schoen
> Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2000 1:37 AM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: Simple Public License, v0.20
>
>
> John Cowan writes:
>
> > Justin Wells scripsit:
> >
> > > > Your improvement must not cause our software to depend on
> additional
> > > > software unless that additional software is distributed to
> the public under
> > > > a license which allows everyone to use and distribute it
> free of charge;
> >
> > I don't remember if I raised this point before, but this seems to say
> > that a patch allowing the software to run on Windows or VMS is
> impermissible,
> > since the patch makes the software "depend" on a non-free
> operating system.
> > This is clearly discrimination against a class of users and as such
> > forbidden by the OSD.
>
> It's interesting to compare what the GPL does about this:
>
> ... However, as a
> special exception, the source code distributed need not
> include anything that is normally distributed (in either
> source or binary form) with the major components (compiler,
> kernel, and so on) of the operating system on which the
> executable runs, unless that component itself accompanies the
> executable.
>
> I think this gives OS vendors the ability to make proprietary
> extensions to GPLed programs!
>
> --
> Seth David Schoen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | And do not say, I will
> study when I
> Temp. http://www.loyalty.org/~schoen/ | have leisure; for
> perhaps you will
> down: http://www.loyalty.org/ (CAF) | not have leisure. --
> Pirke Avot 2:5
>
