Subject: Re: Cygnus Cygwin32 Press Release 1/21/97
From: [email-masked] (Barry Fishman)

12 Feb 1997 01:19:02 -0800
Approved: [email-masked]
Distribution: cygnus
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References: <[email-masked]>
Original-To: [email-masked]
In-Reply-To: Ted Lemon's message of Mon, 10 Feb 1997 14:13:57 -0800
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Original-Sender: [email-masked]

Discussion of Cygnus's actions really belongs in the gnu.misc.discuss
news group, but for those who have not followed that group:

I think the standard FSF position would be that Cygnus is behaving
fairly.  The GPL licence allows anyone to use gnu-win32 in developing
their own software and sell [Yes, I said sell] programs linked with it
for whatever price they like.  The only restriction is that they (like
Cygnus) put their software under the GPL so their customers have
access to the source and can freely distribute it (as Cygnus allows
them).

Cygnus is now adding that if you want to develop software while
restricting access to the source and redistribution rights (what the
FSF calls hoarding), they will not stop you.  They just want a share
of the action.  I did not get the impression that they were going to
produce a separate proprietary version of their software.

Personally, I am grateful to be able to use the software and have
learned a great deal about win32 by the discussions in this mailing
list and access to the sources.  Any profits Cygnus makes from the
software I see as an assurance to me that it will continue to
support it.

If you have problems with FSF approach to software development, you
are being given an alternative way to make use of their software.  I
don't see where anyone has reason to be upset. 

Barry Fishman
[email-masked]

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