* Jeremy Hankins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [030312 18:53]: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Thomas Bushnell, BSG) writes: > So they take > commonly available Free software packages and stick them behind a web > interface. Gcc, tetex, emacs, etc. They lock them down so that no > one can access the filesystem of the server directly via these > packages (and thus gain access to the binaries, say), and charge a > monthly fee for access. Maybe they provide a sort of stripped down > client computer with a browser (possibly all proprietary) that is set > up to use their server for all your computing needs.
I think there is also a more simple situation to think about. Consider a university has a computer lab for the students with some software installed. If the software is GPLed, do the students have a right to get the source of the programs? And if yes, why? If anyone had claimed such any kind of distribution in this area some years ago, I'd taken it for a good joke[1]. Today more and more people seem to even see remotely interacting with software as something a licence can cope with. (I somehow like when my freedom to own paper-scissors got abandowned as people feel the right of people to no been hurt is more important is this area). Hochachtungsvoll, Bernhard R. Link [1] compareable to a cat /bin/clear on a Solaris of the right version. -- Sendmail is like emacs: A nice operating system, but missing an editor and a MTA.
