[LAD] Impro-Visor created on sourceforge

[Simon Jenkins]

On 6 Aug 2009, at 01:44, drew Roberts wrote:

> On Tuesday 28 July 2009 20:32:03 Simon Jenkins wrote:
>> Until and unless you have Bob's preview source files
>> with GPL headers all present and correct, you don't have a license  
>> for
>> the mods in that code.
>
> Huh?
>
> If I get a binary from someone that claims to be GPL, the GPL surely  
> gives me
> the rights needed to "de-compile", disassemble, etc the binary and  
> put the
> result out in source form. (Assuming the program is legit GPL.)
>
> Is one of us missing something?
>

Yes. One of you is missing the source code ;)

 From "What is Copyleft?"
(http://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/copyleft.html)

"To copyleft a program, we first state that it is copyrighted; then we  
add distribution terms, which are a legal instrument that gives  
everyone the rights to use, modify, and redistribute the program's  
code or any program derived from it but only if the distribution terms  
are unchanged. Thus, THE CODE AND THE FREEDOMS BECOME LEGALLY  
INSEPARABLE"  [Emphasis mine]

 From the FSF GPL Howto:
(http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-howto.html)

"Whichever license you plan to use, THE PROCESS INVOLVES ADDING TWO  
ELEMENTS TO EACH SOURCE FILE of your program: a copyright notice (such  
as “Copyright 1999 Terry Jones”), and a statement of copying  
permission, saying that the program is distributed under the terms of  
the GNU General Public License (or the Lesser GPL)."  [Emphasis mine]


IANAL etc etc but these both suggest that the source code is where the  
copyright and license REALLY reside, hence no actual source == no  
actual license regardless of whether the distributor TOLD you a binary  
was GPL, or even supplied you with the text of the GPL to go with it.

~ Simon