On Sat, Apr 16, 2005 at 02:19:21PM +0300, Nicu Buculei wrote:
I don't think is any need to include a source tarball, GPL requirement is satisfied just by a notice "source code available at http://inkscape.org"
I'm not sure that that's true in this case. Excerpt from GPL (last paragraph being most relevant):
3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following:
a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,
b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,
c) Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer to distribute corresponding source code. (This alternative is allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you received the program in object code or executable form with such an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.)
Given that the CD is being offered only to people buying the magazine, this seems to be commercial distribution.
commerce n 1: transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services) [syn: {commercialism}, {mercantilism}]
(WordNet 2.0)
I imagine it'd be easiest for the magazine if the source code were on the CD rather than the possibility of responding to requests for three years. Of course, the magazine distributor is welcome to make their own choice in the matter.
Regarding the issue of confusing people, we could put the source code in a separate directory accompanied by a readme (LiesMich.txt) saying that this is useful only for programmers.
Some mangled german from google translation tool:
Die Akte inkscape-0.41-source.tar.gz enthält das Quellenprogramm für Inkscape. Es ist hauptsächlich nur für Computerprogrammierer nützlich.
The file inkscape-0.41-source.tar.gz contains the source code for Inkscape. It is useful mainly only for computer programmers.
(As far as I can tell from checking with a dictionary, the translation is good with the possible exception of the usage of the word hauptsächlich; we could just remove that word from the German version if we wish.)
As for whether the source code is useful to ComputerBild readership: even if only 4 of the 4 million readers start playing with the source code and end up contributing something to a free software project, I think that's worthwhile.
pjrm.