Qt-interest Archive, January 2007
RE: [Licencing] calling a non-free program from a Qt application using system() ?
Message 1 in thread
Dimitri wrote:
> > I wonder whether anybody ever received an answer to such a question from
> > FSF. I tried already twice and got not even some kind of hint that
> > anybody ever read the mail, let alone an aswer to the questions...
>
> To tell the truth, I don't see why they would reply to requests
> concerning software not copyrighted by FSF.
For the same reason Open Source works at all: Because lots of
people do a bit more than they are actually obliged to.
> Indeed how can they reply on behalf of other organizations?
It would have been sufficient if they replied exemplarily for a
particular piece of GPL software for which they own the copyright.
Btw, asking FSF to get a solution for the 'problem' was the second
try in these particular cases.
The first one was asking the support team of the GPL'd software
in question. The response went along the lines of "We don't know
exactly; what you think might make sense, yet to be sure ask the
FSF as they made the GPL".
How does that fit into your view of the world?
[And if you think it's not your business, the GPL'd software
I talk of is called "Qt" and made by "Trolltech".]
Andre'
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Message 2 in thread
Hi,
>>> I wonder whether anybody ever received an answer to such a question from
>>> FSF. I tried already twice and got not even some kind of hint that
>>> anybody ever read the mail, let alone an aswer to the questions...
>> To tell the truth, I don't see why they would reply to requests
>> concerning software not copyrighted by FSF.
>
> For the same reason Open Source works at all: Because lots of
> people do a bit more than they are actually obliged to.
Legal counseling is different from open source programming. FSF cannot
tell how another organization may interpret the GPL. It can only tell
how the FSF itself expects to interpret it. I'm certain FSF's lawayers
have asked the FSF not to reply on behalf of other organizations - the
FSF just doesn't know how the GPL will be interpreted by other
organizations.
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Message 3 in thread
Hi,
> Btw, asking FSF to get a solution for the 'problem' was the second
> try in these particular cases.
> The first one was asking the support team of the GPL'd software
> in question. The response went along the lines of "We don't know
> exactly; what you think might make sense, yet to be sure ask the
> FSF as they made the GPL".
>
> How does that fit into your view of the world?
It fits quite well.
Actually I was replying to my colleague explaining it's probably not a
good idea to ask the FSF.
We are not robots. We don't share the same personal views. These are not
official Trolltech statements.
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