AcrobatReader: A bug or intentionally?

[Derek Broughton]

Mark Wallace wrote:

[please don't top post - how can we have a conversation that way?]

> I don't think that I got point accross.  The links that you include refer
> to
> open source software.  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 still don't think you've got the point across - I can't figure it out,
anyway :-)

> It is not illegal for a software writer to provide software under a
> license other than GPL.  

No, but it's contrary to Ubuntu's principles to provide non-free software in
its archives (it doesn't have to be GPL, but it has to be a Free license). 
Some non-free software has been included for specific functions in either
multiverse or restricted, but it is under agreement with the providers. 
Acrobat apparently _can't_ be distributed that way.

> Sun Java upgrades also have a dialogue box, I think, because the Linux
> verson of Sun java is also copyrighted by them

It is, it's currently non-free, but Sun has specifically agreed to allow
Ubuntu to distribute it.  Sun-java only fairly recently was put in the
multiverse repository, because they didn't originally allow others to
distribute it.
-- 
derek