[H-GEN] 1999 Linux Shipment Data from IDC (fwd)

Jason Henry Parker jasonp at uq.net.au
Fri Jan 28 04:09:41 EST 2000


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Christopher Preston <c.preston at chemistry.uq.edu.au> writes:

> Martin Pool wrote:
> > * From 1998-1999, Linux showed tremendous growth of 93.2% in total
> > license shipments (697,000 shipments in 1998 vs. 1,347,000 shipments in
> > 1999).
> 
> I need a licence? 

What do you think all those files called `COPYING', `BSD' and
`LICENSE' are---chopped liver?  Of course you need a license, it just
so happens the standard licenses for a lot the software thus shipped
were used to subvert, not enforce, the usual copyright restrictions.

Many people seem to be unaware that under the Berne Copyright
Convention (most countries are a part of this), the default license
for any work is `All rights reserved', ie, you can't do *diddly squat*
with it.  If you're using software with no license you should contact
the author and ask about their intentions, since you have no right to
change, distribute, or modify their work[0][1].

The default copyright is NOT `public domain'.

jason

[0] : This is Jason the Armchair Lawyer speaking, so I *could* be
      wrong, but I don't think so, Tim.

[1] : It could be argued that by giving you a copy of the work the
      author has consented to your using it, but I wouldn't like to
      see it put to the test.  It's much better, IMHO, to have these
      sorts of issues sorted out once and for all.
-- 
____  
\ _/__ ``When the RNG hands you a lemon, #apply it and
 \X  /   see if you can make invisible ink or something.''
   \/      -- Joel Gluth on rec.games.roguelike.nethack

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