AcrobatReader: A bug or intentionally?

[Matthew Flaschen]

Mark Wallace wrote:
> I was trying to say that Adobe Reader isn't made 
> available under the GPL license.  It is available under the proprietary 
> license for free.

I'm aware Adobe is proprietary (and available at no charge), but I want
to point out that the GPL is not the only free/open source license.
There's a whole list at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html

> It is not illegal for a software writer to provide software under a license 
> other than GPL.  It is also not illegal for a Linux distro to include 
> software under terms agreed to with the provider of proprietary software. 

No, it's not.  However, I'm not sure Acrobat still offers (or ever did)
such terms.

> That dialogue box is there because Ubuntu is providing the 
> software subject to the terms of the license agreement that it has with 
> Adobe.

Maybe, or maybe Ubuntu misinterpreted this license agreement, and maybe
it changed.  I'm not sure.

> Linus Torvald knowlingly structured the GPL

Linus Torvalds did not write the GPL, and it was not originally written
for the Linux kernel.  It was written by Richard Stallman and the Free
Software Foundation for the GNU project.  I suggest you read some of the
articles at http://www.gnu.org/gnu/ .

 in such a way as to encourage
> writers of proprietary software to build Linux editions

The GPL was written with no such intention.  The LGPL
(http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html) was written to allow proprietary
software to be built on top of LGPL software.

 and, if people
> wanted to pay for it, that was up to them.

Cost is independent of software freedom..

> You CAN copyright improvements; and things that you build yourself,
and then
> either sell them or provide them for free.

All literary works are automatically copyrighted on creation.  It's part
of the Berne Convention.  However, you can't distribute a derivative
work without permission from the original copyright holder.  The GPL
provides such permission for GPL software in exchange for certain
conditions.

> There is not a prohibition against copyrighting Linux editions of software, 
> only things that you got under the GPL license.

GPL software is copyrighted.  Please do some research if you want to
discuss these issues.

Matthew Flaschen