[GNU-linux-libre] Re: [Gnewsense-dev] 9wm - No FSF Free

[Alexandre Oliva]

On Aug 31, 2009, Ali Gunduz <address@hidden> wrote:

> On Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 3:22 AM, Alexandre Oliva<address@hidden> wrote:
>> Given that copyright prohibits modification, and the license doesn't
>> grant permission for modifications, I think it's not enough for freedoms
>> #1 and #3 to be respected :-(

> AFAIK FSF doesn't see requirement of modifications to be only
> distributed in form of patches as software freedom violation.

That's my understanding as well, but that's not the issue.

A patch, in as much as it is a derived work, requires permission from
the copyright holder of the original work to be created and
distributed.  No such permission is granted, therefore neither the
creation nor the distribution of such derived works are permitted.

> http://gnuplot.cvs.sourceforge.net/gnuplot/gnuplot/Copyright?view=markup.

See it says:

* Permission to modify the software is granted

but such a permission is missing in the 9wm license.

-- 
Alexandre Oliva, freedom fighter    http://FSFLA.org/~lxoliva/
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Gandhi
Be Free! -- http://FSFLA.org/   FSF Latin America board member
Free Software Evangelist      Red Hat Brazil Compiler Engineer