Date: Tue, 15 Mar 94 18:39:22 -0500
From: dj AT ctron DOT com (DJ Delorie)
To: babcock AT cfa DOT harvard DOT edu
Cc: djgpp AT sun DOT soe DOT clarkson DOT edu
Subject: Re: Distributing a recompiled GO32

>   1. Recompile go32 and bind it into my application for distribution.  (The
>      reason for wanting to not have a separate go32 is simply that it makes
>      installation problems more likely.  I don't have a fancy install program
>      and I literally have customers who call for tech support because they
>      mistype the name of a self-extracting file on the distribution disk and
>      get a "bad command or file name" message.)

This is allowed if you include sources to go32 with your app.  Note:
the need to recompile went away a while ago.  If you have a specific
bug that requires a specific compiler, please let me know.

>   2. Make all the djgpp files which I have available on my BBS for free
>      download (this is already done.)  I don't have the compiler sources and
>      some of the graphics stuff.

This is illegal - FSF requires that you make gcc's sources available
on your BBS along with the binaries.  I had a long e-discussion with
RMS about the meaning of "distribution channel" a while ago.  His
opinion at the time was that binaries and sources should be available
by the same distribution means, and if the user can't get them both at
the same time, you have to provide a *written* and dated promise to
deliver any time within three years.  You can't provide anything
written via a BBS.  (the original discussion was about FTP sites)

Contact gnu AT prep DOT ai DOT mit DOT edu for clarifications and final say on
anything relating to the GPL and redistributing gcc binaries; I'm just
giving my view of things and I may be wrong on some points.

>   3. Offer to provide the djgpp files on disk to my customers for a nominal
>      copying charge.

This is OK.