[ptx] hugin dependancies & sources for panorama-tools-nonfree

[Edouard Gomez]

David Grant (david.grant at telus.net) wrote:
> I was kind of thinking, but couldn't put that all together and explain 
> it like you did.
> So had he ever leaked out some source, then he would be screwed, and 
> that source would be GPL. But as it stands he never relased any to begin 
> with, for the non libpano12 stuff, so, he's free to do as he pleases and 
> change the license. As long as he didn't use any GPL stuff written by 
> other people within his code, that is.

The  GPL  isn't  about  licensing  sources only,  it's  about  licensing
software. If a software is GPL licensed then users who got a copy of the
software are  in right to  ask for the  sources to the  distributor. The
distributor  is to  provide (freely  of for  a fee)  the sources  of the
compiled program.  That's the way the  GPL works, and the  fact he never
released  sources is  not an  argument that  could help  him  hiding the
sources  forever,  he's  bound  by   the  GPL  to  give  access  to  the
sources...

So  in conclusion,  everyone who  downloaded the  version  from original
author is in right to ask for sources. Up to the original author to give
the source for free or for a fee (the media cost), but the GPL is clear,
sources must be available.

See:
Section 3:
[...]
    b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three
    years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your
    cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete
    machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be
    distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium
    customarily used for software interchange; or,

-- 
Edouard Gomez