On Saturday 03 December 2005 10:35, Bob Dove wrote:
I believe I have read notices to the effect that the software is FREE - that is 'no cost' to the end user but the person downloading and offering it to other end user may charge for media used, post and pack &c. Please let me know if I have mis-understood all this 'free' stuff?
I do not believe the GPL (and similar licenses) limit the fee charged to the cost of the media (and sundry costs). Indeed, one GPL bundle I provide is usually charged at $1000 for the base, and if the core packages requires customisation, that will put up the price. (Another project I have just started will be freely available starting at $5000)..
Releasing work under the GPL allows me to charge what ever I see as a reasonable price, however, the GPL grants the end user certain FREEdoms, namely: a) Free to examine the code. b) Free to make any number of copies. c) Free to sell or give away the copies. d) Free to modify and distrubute derived works.
GPL imposes a couple of restrictions - 1) Source code must be provided to the user if/when asked for. 2) Copyright of the original work belongs to the original author(s).
The multitude of shareware software that is often perceived as "free" in the world of M$ is not. For much of it, your charges for distribution are limited to media costs, and you have no rights to the source code, nor can you distribute derived works.
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/ may help to clarify some of the confusion over what is "free" software and what "FREE" means in the world of Linux (and derived works).
Regards, Paul.
N.B. I also do Debian CDs for a beer or two :)