wow how completely uninteresting. How about kicking the lawyers out and writing some code instead? I know its a weird concept.
On Tue, Dec 11, 2007 at 05:24:24PM +0100, Sebastian Raible wrote: > Hi, > > > On Mon, Dec 10, 2007 at 11:43:35AM -0500, Nick Guenther wrote: > > <<<According to the GNU license, anyone using a GNU GPL license in > > their software application must ship the sources or a written notice > > on where to get sources. Since web applications are applications, all > > web applications and html pages that are powered by GNU scripts must > > ship the sources (or a written notice) each time someone requests the > > web page inside their web browser. Web developers are not doing this. > > No one has noticed.>> > > In fairness, these charges seem overzealous; deliberately > > misinterpretting the spirit of the GPL. I don't know, though, so I'd > > like it to be cleared up; as I understand it, a web app doesn't count > > as "publishing"; people just using code like that are under no > > obligation to publish it, and it's just the author/vendor who is > > obligated to provide source. > > Though, I suppose RMS (a hypothetical, consistent RMS) mght argue that > > if you are providing a "web app" piece of software, then if your users > > cannot edit your site on you ("modify software they use") then you are > > violating the Four Freedoms and the GPL. > > Is any of that anywhere near reality? > > there was an article in the current issue of the german Linux Magazin, > it covers the use of GPLv2'ed web applications regarding "Software as a > Service, Application Service Providing and Free Software". > > According to this article, the GPL(v2) does not consider this kind of > use of Free Software as distribution. Because of that, the FSF designed > the "Affero General Public License" (AGPL) [1]. > Additionally, the article says that in GPLv3, they make use of the term > "convey" which also didn't consider the kind of distribution that > happens with a web application as a distribution of software, therefore > they started a "AGPLv3" [2]. > > > hth > Sebastian > > [1] > http://linux-magazin.de/heft_abo/ausgaben/2008/01/freier_zugriff?category=0 > [2] http://www.affero.org/oagpl.html > [3] http://gplv3.fsf.org/agplv3-dd2-guide.html > > [demime 1.01d removed an attachment of type application/pgp-signature]