Re: [OctDev] low level I/O (GPIB, USBTMC, VXI11)

[Sergei S. <ser...@ya...>]

----- Original Message -----
> From: Richard Stallman <rm...@gn...>
> To: Jordi Gutiérrez Hermoso <jo...@oc...>
> Cc: oct...@li...; he...@oc...; li...@ju...
> Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2012 6:46 AM
> Subject: Re: low level I/O (GPIB, USBTMC, VXI11)
[snip]
> The user, on his own initiative, is free to link GPL-covered code with
> nonfree code and use that privately.  However, to modify a GPL-covered
> program so that it is meant to link to some non-free code, and
> distribute that, is not a private action.  It is a way of combining
> the program with nonfree code.  That violates the GPL.
[snip]
> 
> -- 
> Dr Richard Stallman
> President, Free Software Foundation
> 51 Franklin St
> Boston MA 02110
> USA
> www.fsf.org  www.gnu.org
> Skype: No way! That's nonfree (freedom-denying) software.
>   Use Ekiga or an ordinary phone call
> 
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> 

No, "It is a way of combining the program with nonfree code.  That violates the GPL", it does _not_violate GPL.

One of the greatest GPL features is that it does _not_ require the distributed code to work.

So, the modified GPL code is to be distributed with free in FOSS sense _non_-working code which quite incidentally happens to have the same interface as the non-free code the GPL program is supposed to work with.

And then on site the GPL program is easily (re)linked with proprietary code using all kinds of tools/approaches, the easiest of the being LD_PRELOAD trick (e.g. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/426230/what-is-the-ld-preload-trick ).

Regards,
  Sergei.