Linux and Free Software :: Open source stuff

Quote (mikshaw @ July 10 2006,14:55)

The only thing that is shared by all is the fact that the source code is available to the general public. Depending on its license, the code may be limited in what you are allowed to do with it...you might only be able to modify it for personal use, or you may be able to modify and redistribute with certain other limitations (as with GPL), or you may be able to do whatever you want with it.

You're thinking about shared source - see the Open Source Definition. (Just in particular "Free Redistribution", "Derived Works", and "Integrity of The Author's Source Code.")

Quote (blhandi @ July 09 2006,21:54)

4) Off hand dismissals should always be ignored.

Actually, I think kerry's trying to prevent the return of a recent thread about the topic which got close to flamy. However, I think that line of discussion is finished now.

Yes crusadingknight,you got me pegged. i do think this was all covered in the other thread. i believe we should trust that robert and jhon know what there doing and that they are following all the procedures required to make there distro redistributable for others to use. if someone intends to do something else with DSL rather than use and share it, i believe they should ask robert or jhon directly, instead of asking on the forum to see what they can get away with copying, not that that might be the intention. alot of work goes into making most linux " free " but there are people out there that do take advantage.

TO: the orignal poster, i did take a look at your web page and i do think if your going to use DSL as your offical club cd, you should show some repect to the creater's by atleast acknowledging them somewhere on the site. maybe even a link to the main site instead of just to the apps. you make it seem as if you did all that work. RUDE

While GPL allows modifcation and redistribution of modified source, it does not provide exemption from adherence to copyright, which in my opinion is more important than the software license. The copyright states who the original author is, and should NEVER be altered, ignored, or removed.

So Far,

1 DSL,
1.1 no problems with redistributing to local friends without mods, etc.
1.2 If Im going to use DSL as a method of demonstarting other open source freeware apps, then I should promote dsl as a thanks. Great idea, thanks. (All of the big apps on my CD will be win copies. The dsl part allows me to introduce linux (and dsl) to an audiance that will likely never see or use it.)

2 Open source and freeware
2.1 I understand the concepts from reading and research.
(you know, free as in freedom not free beer, etc)
2.2 I am trying to predict how I can explain this to simple win users who are not developers. I seems that the vast majority of what the licenses do it protect the authors from other authors, be they corporate or individual. On the simple end user level it appears much simpler.
2.2.1 Only the user can determine the software's usefulness for their purpose. If it Breaks, you get to keep both pieces.
2.2.2 If you give it to others, make sure its in its original form and includes the license.
2.3 if there are other considerations for the private end user, for a true gpl software, I would like to hear about it.
2.4 The requirements for the developers etc, is interesting but beyond what Ill need to explain to others I will be helping. (It also seems to get complex and emotional)

3 My motivation came from helping xp sufferers with basic use of their system. Three months after they bought their system, up came a notice that they had to buy a license for word. I want to be able to give them a copy of abiword and contacts for help. It seems that very little on an "off the shelf" pc these days is not a trick or trap to the novice user.
Im sure this has been covered a great deal, AND I know that this group are not the ones they are able to fool.

Anyway thanks for the info. I consider this group the experts on most of this. Ill stop talking and keep reading for help I need on how to distill it for my grandparents, neighbors, etc.

Thanks again.

missed my point, here's a visual from your site http://www.handigadgets.com/losug/clubdisk.htm ->

" The Club CD is a Bootable disk. If its left in the drive it
might try to boot into a Live-CD version of DSL Linux, with most,
if not all of the applications available to try. "

to something like

" The Club CD is a Bootable disk. If its left in the drive it
might try to boot into a Live-CD version of DSL Linux( I would like to send a thank's to robert and jhon for providing DSL), with most,
if not all of the applications available to try. "

You know respect, i'm not saying promote it, but you could spare a little space to acknowledge the creators of your " club cd ".

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