Messages in this thread | | | Date | Sat, 27 Sep 1997 11:38:20 -0700 | From | "Jeffrey B. Siegal" <> | Subject | Re: Solaris 2.6 and Linux |
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Dean Gaudet wrote:
> You need only provide source if asked for it, and you need only point to a > ftp site with the source and offer to send a CD-ROM/floppy if the ftp site > is not sufficient. A label on the device containing a reference to the > copyleft and a copy of the license in the manual should satisfy the rest > of the requirements.
In truth, the popularization of the Internet in the past few years does make this easier. A few years ago, the ftp approach would not have been sufficient.
Still, we're talking about many products that are totally outside the computer industry. Consumer products do not generally include license agreements in their manuals (they many not include a manual at all). Something strange like may generate a huge volume of support calls from confused or curious customers, adding to the cost of the product (many of these products are very inexpensive, so any additional cost can be a big deal).
In most cases, it makes more sense to just go with commercial software for these applications, even if the Free Software is technically superior and, on the surface, less expensive. Sad but true.
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