RE: Rsync over ssh (pulling from Cygwin to Linux) stalls..

["Dave Korn" <dave dot korn at artimi dot com>]

On 14 August 2006 18:41, mwoehlke wrote:

> Dave Korn wrote:
>> On 14 August 2006 17:04, mwoehlke wrote:

>>> My understanding is that if you place it in Public Domain, then anyone
>>> can do anything with it and no one can stop this. IOW RedHat would be
>>> safe because no one can prevent them from using Public Domain material
>>> in any manner or fashion.
>> 
>>   That's not what "safe" means.  If the program is in the public domain,
>> rather than RH having the copyright assigned to them, then anyone could
>> take it, make a proprietary version and distribute it without the sources,
>> and RH would not be in a legal position to enforce the GPL on it because
>> they would not be the copyright holder.
> 
> And the problem with this would be what, exactly? "Safe" in that no one
> can take legal action against RH because of their use of it.

  No, redhat is "safe" in /that/ sense automatically, because the code is GPLd
and so they and everyone else in the world can do what they like with it, and
nobody can stop them.  The meaning of "safe" for redhat would be "safe from
anyone stealing it for proprietary use", because the code would not be safe
against that unless someone who can afford lawyers - such as RH - holds the
copyright.

  Please, read the rationale at:

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-assign.html

- although this is the FSF's site, the same argument applies to RH's reasons
for wanting copyright assigned.  RH are entirely genuine about the GPL: it's
the foundation of their business, and it is the GPL that guarantees they can
conduct that business and that nobody can try and prevent them distributing
open-source software.


    cheers,
      DaveK
-- 
Can't think of a witty .sigline today....