----- Original Message ----- > From: "Chris Grant" <chrisgrantm...@gmail.com>
> This is based on a flawed reading of the GPL. The GPL covers the > distribution of program code. The license specifically states that “The act > of running the Program is not restricted”. (Furthermore: “Activities other > than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this > License; they are outside its scope.”) > > The terms you are all referring to relate to the distribution of the > software, not the running of the software. Wikipedia.org, does not > distribute the software, that is MediaWiki.org's job. If Wikipedia wanted > to, we could remove all licensing information from the software and it > would still be completely legal. The GPL *only* comes into effect once > you start distributing the software. The problem here, Chris, is "what constitutes 'distributing the software'?" WP is *sending a copy of the JS from its servers to a client PC, there to be executed*. *We* consider that "incidental", but a court might not; decisions I'm aware of have gone both ways. So that might *be* the distribution step, legally, and trigger the license requirement. Cheers, -- jra -- Jay R. Ashworth Baylink j...@baylink.com Designer The Things I Think RFC 2100 Ashworth & Associates http://baylink.pitas.com 2000 Land Rover DII St Petersburg FL USA #natog +1 727 647 1274 _______________________________________________ Wikitech-l mailing list Wikitech-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikitech-l
