Re: Bug in Cygwin Windows 8 group permissions

[Corinna Vinschen <corinna-cygwin@cygwin.com>]

On Dec  4 18:39, Chaz Littlejohn wrote:
> > On 12/4/2012 4:34 PM, Chaz Littlejohn wrote:
> > IANAL but I believe there are 2 issues here:
> >
> >   1. Whether your use of Cygwin means your program also needs to fall under
> >      the GPL
> >
> >   2. Distribution of the Cygwin DLL and its utilities
> >
> > If what you describe above about your usage of Cygwin is correct, then I
> > believe (1) is not an issue for you.  However, (2) still applies since you
> > cannot distribute GPL'd software without providing the source as well.
> 
> I'm not sure if the two are separate. Assuming the program
> communicates with cygwin utilities only via command line arguments and
> they're not sharing complex data structures, i believe it would be
> considered "aggregate" rather than an "modified". From the GPL FAQ
> (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#MereAggregation):
> 
> "An “aggregate” consists of a number of separate programs, distributed
> together on the same CD-ROM or other media. The GPL permits you to
> create and distribute an aggregate, even when the licenses of the
> other software are non-free or GPL-incompatible. The only condition is
> that you cannot release the aggregate under a license that prohibits
> users from exercising rights that each program's individual license
> would grant them."

What you're missing is the fact that you're still required to adhere to
the licensing of the individual packages, even if your own prorietary
stuff doesn't link aginst the OSS code.  That means, for the Cygwin DLL,
being under GPLv3+, you have to provide the sources of the package as
well, using the exact version you provide in binary form.

Not many people take their right to fetch the sources as well, but
they *have* a right to it, at least as far as the GPL goes.

The most simple way to accomplish this is to add a sources download
URL where you provide the source packages of all the OSS packages you
use.  It's not *that* much work.


Corinna

-- 
Corinna Vinschen                  Please, send mails regarding Cygwin to
Cygwin Project Co-Leader          cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Red Hat