Re: [LUG] linux history questions

[Simon Waters <Simon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Matthew Browning wrote:
> > Source:
> >       Is the source from all major distro's included on the disks we get?
>
> If you buy a boxed set from, say, RedHat - yeah, you get the source.  It
> is a condition of the GPL that source be available if required.

Nothing in the GPL says source HAS to be included, just
available if required.

So Redhat's shipping of source in bundles is just to help you if
you want the source.

Not all source in Linux distro's is GPL'ed
(Apache/XF86/Netscape).

Not all programs in some Linux distro's are free software (SuSE
was one of these).

Some distro's include proprietary programs (Applix).

Linux (the kernel) is under the GNU GPL, with a note that use of
the API system calls is fair use (i.e. so it doesn't mandate all
programs supplied for Linux are GPL'ed as they use the header
files (part of the source) when they are compiled).

Similarly some kernel modules are thus allowed not to be under
the GNU GPL, and remain proprietary.

The GNU tools for file utilities, compiling programs, and the
like are all under the GNU GPL.

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