Ubuntu from source
Tim Tebbit
ttebbit at gmail.com
Wed Sep 23 22:37:31 UTC 2009
Rashkae wrote:
>
>
> Strictly speaking, you are wrong. Forgive me if I don't quote you
> directly from the GPL, since I'm lazy, but Mephis ran headfirst into
> this problem. Distributing a binary of a GPL program, modified or not,
> requires that you make the source available to the recipients of the
> binary. You can comply with this by including a written offer to send
> the source for a nominal fee, but it turns out it's just easier and less
> complicated to simply include the source with the repos. It's not
> sufficient to just rely on upstream. (after all, upstream is under no
> obligation to keep offering the version of the source that you happen to
> have packaged.)
>
> That being said, even for non GPL stuff, Ubuntu project does comply with
> Open source values in spirit as well as obligation, (though not as
> purist as Debian.) The source for all packages in Main and Universe
> should be readily available. The caveat, of course, is that Ubuntu
> includes some packages that are not available as open source (such as
> proprietary video drivers,), which obviously, you won't be able to build
> from source packages.
+ 1 Which is why the FSF sends a DVD containing the source code along with the
membership card (Business Card Live gNewSense) to it's members.
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