[H-GEN] GPL question

[Trent Waddington]

Harry Phillips wrote:

>
> I thought all software came with a licence, even if it's a "here is 
> the program, the source code, the lot, you do anything you like to it"
>

Sure, but you don't have to agree to the license.  This is actually 
explicitly stated in the GPL and applys to any license.

   5. You are not required to accept this License, since you have not 
signed it. However, nothing else grants you permission to modify or 
distribute the Program or its         derivative works. These actions 
are prohibited by law if you do not accept this License. Therefore, by 
modifying or distributing the Program (or any work based         on the 
Program), you indicate your acceptance of this License to do so, and all 
its terms and conditions for copying, distributing or modifying the 
Program or                 works based on it.

Note that it doesn't say "run the program" as one of the actions 
prohibited by law.. that's because it's not!  If licenses were ment to 
prevent someone from running the software it would be called "runright" 
or "useright".. it's not, it's called "copyright" and that's all it 
restricts, the action of copying (be that distribution or the creation 
of derivitive works).  

Trent