<div dir="ltr"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 2:04 PM, Oleg Goldshmidt <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:pub@goldshmidt.org">pub@goldshmidt.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
Hi,<br>
<br>
We all know what "free/open-source/libre software" means and we are<br>
generally capable of distinguishing between "open source" and "free"<br>
and so on, and figuring out if a given license is "free" and to what<br>
degree.<br>
<br>
According to FSF (<a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html" target="_blank">http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html</a>), there<br>
are "4 freedoms":<br>
<br>
* The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).<br>
<br>
* The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it<br>
do what you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a<br>
precondition for this.<br>
<br>
* The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).<br>
<br>
* The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others<br>
(freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance<br>
to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a<br>
precondition for this.<br>
<br>
I was just asked a question (by a friend who is very knowlegeable<br>
about free software himself) that made me stop and think. I'll<br>
paraphrase his original question - it was short and to the point and<br>
it did not refer to the FSF "4 freedoms".<br>
<br>
The 2nd freedom ("Freedom 1") is compound and not atomic. "Study how<br>
the program works" (e.g., from sources) and "change" are two different<br>
things. I find this very curious, it seems natural to me to separate<br>
passive and active access, but they are bundled together.<br>
<br>
Is there an "official" term for software that comes with source code<br>
but does not allow one to modify or distribute it (modified or not)?<br>
[This was the original question that fueled my curiosity.]<br>
<br>
Are there licenses that provide the code but do not allow (even<br>
private) modifications?<br>
<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>I was once offered something similar. The source code was to be given, as insurance in case the company stopped existing. However, we were not to access the code unless such a thing happened.</div>
<div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
Are there licenses that allow private modifications but not<br>
distribution of either original or modified program?<br>
<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Of course - this is where you sign an NDA to get the code.</div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
My search did not yield much. The "Open Source Definition", the<br>
"Debian Free Software Guidelines", the "Free Software Definition" all<br>
require redistribution. As far as I understand, "public domain" does<br>
not require opening the source. I looked at many license comparison<br>
lists and there is always redistribution, modification, etc.<br>
<br>
The only example I found was Microsoft's "Reference Source License",<br>
<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/resources/sharedsource/referencesourcelicensing.mspx" target="_blank">http://www.microsoft.com/resources/sharedsource/referencesourcelicensing.mspx</a>.<br>
Does anyone know if "Reference Source License" is a generic term or<br>
just a specific license from M$?<br>
<br>
I did not find any license that allows private modifications but<br>
forbids redistribution. It is quite possible I missed something.<br>
<font color="#888888"><br>
--<br>
Oleg Goldshmidt | <a href="mailto:oleg@goldshmidt.org">oleg@goldshmidt.org</a><br>
<br>
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</font></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Orna Agmon Ben-Yehuda.<br><a href="http://ladypine.org">http://ladypine.org</a><br>
</div>