Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Sun, 19 Jan 2003 18:17:37 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Sun, 19 Jan 2003 18:17:37 -0500 Received: from h68-147-110-38.cg.shawcable.net ([68.147.110.38]:29167 "EHLO schatzie.adilger.int") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Sun, 19 Jan 2003 18:17:35 -0500 Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2003 16:26:14 -0700 From: Andreas Dilger To: Roman Zippel Cc: Larry McVoy , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Is the BitKeeper network protocol documented? Message-ID: <20030119162614.I1594@schatzie.adilger.int> Mail-Followup-To: Roman Zippel , Larry McVoy , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org References: <20030118043309.GA18658@bjl1.asuk.net> <20030118052919.GA22751@work.bitmover.com> <3E296342.B3042E09@linux-m68k.org> <20030119113902.D1594@schatzie.adilger.int> <3E2B1DA7.CAA76FFF@linux-m68k.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.2.5.1i In-Reply-To: <3E2B1DA7.CAA76FFF@linux-m68k.org>; from zippel@linux-m68k.org on Sun, Jan 19, 2003 at 10:50:32PM +0100 X-GPG-Key: 1024D/0D35BED6 X-GPG-Fingerprint: 7A37 5D79 BF1B CECA D44F 8A29 A488 39F5 0D35 BED6 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Jan 19, 2003 22:50 +0100, Roman Zippel wrote: > Andreas Dilger wrote: > > > IOW "You should be thankful for what I offer, if you don't like it, piss > > > off!" Might not be what you've intended, but that's what I arrived here > > > and I'm sure I'm not the only one. > > > > That's what he intended, and rightfully so. > > I just wanted to make sure I understood correctly, I have an appropriate > answer, but I can't word it as nicely as Larry. > > > You now have things you didn't > > have before (i.e. hourly snapshots of Linus' tree) and you still aren't > > happy. I guess some people will never be happy with anything, so there is > > no point in trying to appease them. > > If you don't see the problem, maybe you should read > /usr/src/linux/COPYING again for a change. There is nothing in the GPL which requires anyone to make their changes available to you the minute they make them. The fact that you have access to the changes within an hour of when they are made far exceeds the requirements in the GPL, which only require that the source code be made available if you distribute the OBJECT CODE OR EXECUTABLE. If Linus uses BK to make pre-releases available to some people, that does not appear to even invoke the "executable distribution" clause, any more than him emailing patches to other developers privately. If Linus started making kernel patches available via a Lotus Notes database (heaven forbid, I think even the IBM folks agree on that one ;-) doesn't mean that IBM suddenly has to make all the details of Lotus Notes available, or that Linus is forbidden to use tools as he wants. There are still lots of other ways to get the kernel source. In fact (think about this for a while 8-o), EVERY SINGLE CHANGE that has gone into the "official Linus kernel" had Linus doing the merge (i.e. acting as editor of the combined work which is the kernel), which may imply that Linus even owns a complete copyright over the entire kernel source tree (i.e. compiled work). Since he has never (or not in the last decade, AFAIK) distributed a binary or object version of the kernel, it may be that he isn't under any obligation to do anything related to distribution under the GPL. If you think that being the editor of a combined work is not enough to give him copyright over the combined work, then you need to learn your copyright law a bit more. If it wasn't for Linus acting as a "gatekeeper", the kernel would be full of the crap that makes up 99% of the sourceforge projects out there. Cheers, Andreas -- Andreas Dilger http://sourceforge.net/projects/ext2resize/ http://www-mddsp.enel.ucalgary.ca/People/adilger/ - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/