Dear On Fri, Aug 11, 2000 at 06:12:35AM +0000, Mr Smith wrote: > format which where covered by GPL. But they only supplied > them in binary only format without anything which appeared > to be a written offer of source code. They where able to > supply a t-shirt and a "nurf" style blue cube with a warning > label "not a toy" on it but no written offer of source code.
Damn, you are right. So many people contributed to make the free software, and some big company like that comes over, and doesn't follow the rules nor take attention on the licence. Companies or individuals *can't* distribute binaries without sources if it is required by the licence, and they have to comply with every single point written there. If you need some help just tell me. In case of trouble I could donate something. Those "excuses" are not acceptable. Those justifing is not acceptable. I did follow some of happenings which Corel made on the beginning of the year, and I cannot agree with that. If that would be the only case, well OK, maybe one could say, they distribute it now according to policies, and that is now fine. WELL IT IS NOT DAMN FINE!!! What some company like Corel would do, if I take their Corel WhateverPaint Software of 100 MB, and distribute it around or sell it without paying royalties? They would jump and do whatever is needed to stop it. I am speaking if that would happen in the same volume as Corel does it with GNU/Linux. They would put such a pressure on third company, that nobody else would ever dare to do the same. Maybe exgagerated, but it does happen and I know many cases in Germany about that. Now, Corel is not the only company which violates the GPL. Here in Germany, the biggest national telecommunication company called Deutsche Telekom, started selling and distributing, all over the place their phone-book software on CD, which includes GTK and Glibc libraries on it, and some BSD software. They didn't supply Glibc, they didn't inform people about where to get sources of Gtk or Glibc, they didn't make object files, they didn't dinamically link it. They even have put their own licence on it, claiming that nobody else can distribute the whole package (including their own software), and that no changes nor reverse engeeniering is allowed. They didn't show the copyrights, only their own copyrights. I called the programmer, and he sent me some kind of dinamically linked software, which didn't work. I told him to make it according to the licence, and he didn't do anything - simply no answer after a while. That programming company and Deutsche Telekom Medien AG, tried to convince me how they do follow the GPL if they send me, one person, that dinamically linked software. TO HELL!!!! They are selling thousands of those CD-ROMs in every city of Germany, in many catalogs, everywhere. They use Gtk even in Windows versions (there is version for Windows) and they don't provide the licence. I know that is happening since September/November 1999, and I have informed FSF about that, but don't know what really happened. I did see the same CD in stores before couple of days, it is still on the display, and still selling it. That is f..... not alright. If you consider steps against Corel just do it. If somebody wants a picture of this software from Deutsche Telekom Medien AG, I can send it. I can scan the licence as well and every average Linux user could recognize, that software is made while using the GTK - looks like all Gnome programs. But no licence on the CD, etc. Per GPL - their licence is automatically terminated. Or I can simply take that proprietary software and do with it whatever the GPL allows. I hate that. One is talking to "big" company, and they don't respond or react logically. There fore if you have or want to do something against, do it. Those issues do have something with every Linux user, if they want to stay Linux users. Sincerely, Marko Cehaja
