From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Tim Smith Subject: Re: Gitbox Date: Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:21:38 -0700 Message-ID: <98FEC064-DE91-4F66-9BCB-C1BC27B8F4D6@eacceleration.com> References: <4238CC86-13A5-4DB8-B8B2-BC3AA2F2DA5E@gmail.com> <4DA654D4.5040104@medialab.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v1084) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: QUOTED-PRINTABLE To: git@vger.kernel.org X-From: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Fri Apr 15 21:30:01 2011 Return-path: Envelope-to: gcvg-git-2@lo.gmane.org Received: from vger.kernel.org ([209.132.180.67]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1QAoiN-0004ka-7E for gcvg-git-2@lo.gmane.org; Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:29:59 +0200 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1754395Ab1DOT3x convert rfc822-to-quoted-printable (ORCPT ); Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:29:53 -0400 Received: from hmkgw.eacceleration.com ([138.210.79.211]:49583 "EHLO hmkgw.eacceleration.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1754119Ab1DOT3x convert rfc822-to-8bit (ORCPT ); Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:29:53 -0400 X-Greylist: delayed 488 seconds by postgrey-1.27 at vger.kernel.org; Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:29:52 EDT Received: from localhost (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]) by hmkvm-svcml147.hostmark.eacceleration.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5B3EB281BDA2 for ; Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:21:42 +0000 (UTC) X-Virus-Scanned: Debian amavisd-new at hmkvm-svcml147.hostmark.eacceleration.com Received: from hmkgw.eacceleration.com ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (hmkvm-svcml147.hostmark.eacceleration.com [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id UDt7Jy2kp3hl for ; Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:21:38 +0000 (UTC) Received: from timsmith2.hostmark.eacceleration.com (timsmith2.hostmark.eacceleration.com [10.5.0.77]) by hmkvm-svcml147.hostmark.eacceleration.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id D273B281BDA0 for ; Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:21:38 +0000 (UTC) In-Reply-To: <4DA654D4.5040104@medialab.com> X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.1084) Sender: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Precedence: bulk List-ID: X-Mailing-List: git@vger.kernel.org Archived-At: When GPLv2 talks about works "based on" another work, they mean works t= hat are "derivative works" under copyright law. This is mentioned expli= citly in section 0. GPLv2 also uses the term "derived from", which it does not define and i= s not a term of copyright law. Copyright law gives the copyright owner certain exclusive rights. No on= e else is allowed to do those things without permission from the copyri= ght owner. The GPLv2 (and most other free software licenses) are design= ed to give you that permission. They serve strictly to remove restricti= ons, not to add them. Contrast to a typical commercial software EULA, which might grant to yo= u some permissions, but also will try to stop you from doing things tha= t you are normally allowed to do. For instance, copyright law places no= limit on the number of backup copies you can make of software you purc= hase. All that it requires (at least in the US) is that if you transfer= ownership of your copy of the software to someone else you either dest= roy all your backups, or transfer them with the software. The typical E= ULA will make you agree to only keep one backup copy. The FSF is quite clear that they intend the GPLv2 to not be a EULA. It = only extends rights to you, it does not take any away. Accordingly, whe= n trying to decide what an undefined term like "derived from" means in = the context of GPLv2, you should look to copyright law. This makes it c= lear that they are using "derived" from to mean the same thing that cop= yright law means by a "derivative work". Gitbox is not a derivative work of Git. The only thing Gitbox is doing = that requires permission from the Git copyright owners is distributing = an unmodified copy of Git with Gitbox. As long as Gitbox obeys the GPL = by making the corresponding Git source available in a way allowed under= GPLv2, they have permission. End of story. They tried to clear up some of this confusing in GPLv3: > To =93modify=94 a work means to copy from or adapt all or part of the= work in a fashion requiring copyright permission, other than the makin= g of an exact copy. The resulting work is called a =93modified version=94= of the earlier work or a work =93based on=94 the earlier work. --=20 --Tim Smith