Re: Question on Cygwin User Tool licensing

[DJ Delorie <dj at delorie dot com>]

> The question #2 I am trying to get an answer for does not involve
> DISTRIBUTING THE CYGWIN CD TO ANYONE -- rather providing them with
> the use of the tool long enough to emulate the product's Unix shell
> script tools in a classroom environment -- say, a one to three day
> experience -- after which all traces of the Cygwin user tools would
> be deleted from the NT boxes the students had been using.  They walk
> away with nothing but knowledge/awareness of Cygwin tools!  Am I
> allowed to download the
> 
> I'd like to specify my question further: the product's command line
> tools only use "sh" to work properly.  Does the GPL allow me to
> download once to the classroom (on a per-class-experience-basis),
> install locally to the student NT machines, run the course, then
> delete everything as soon as the course is done?

IMHIANALO, it depends on who owns the machines the students use.  If
you own them, you aren't distributing the code - you're just letting
them use your machine for a while.  The GPL doesn't require you
distribute the software, so you can say "you can't copy anything off
our machines".  Note that this is a grey area.

If they own them, you are distributing the code, and the GPL applies.
However, you *can* distribute sh.exe and cygwin1.dll under the terms
of the GPL, which allows such use.  I.e, to do this, you'd need to
make the sources for sh.exe and cygwin1.dll available to any student
who you give sh.exe and cygwin1.dll to.

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