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Free Software Quiz
By jonas, Section News
Posted on Tue May 28th, 2002 at 08:29:51 GMT
Recently added to the GNU webserver: Free Software Quiz. How many correct answers did you get?

 

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Free Software Quiz | 14 comments (14 topical, editorial) | Post A Comment
[new] Question (#1)
by a member of the hurd (#-1) on Tue May 28th, 2002 at 13:04:14 GMT

>V. "Everyone may order a source CD for the cost of distribution."

>VI. "Everyone who buys a binary CD may order up to one source CD for free."

> VII. "Everyone may order a source CD for free".

> 3. Any of IV-VII are OK, but I-III are not OK.

> 5. V and VII are OK, none of the others are.

> You chose 3, but the correct answer was 5. You can find out about this issue in the GPL, section 3b.

Could someone exmplain this to me? Maybe I did understand the text, but if anyone who bought an binary may order the source for free, which requirements are not fullfit?

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[new] Nice quiz (#4)
by a member of the hurd (#-1) on Tue May 28th, 2002 at 14:17:16 GMT

I just wanted to thank you guys. This quiz was a great idea (although I got only 5 questions right the first time.... :-)

I'm going to refer this quiz to every person I think would learn from it.

Great job!

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[new] I thought the quiz was interesting and worthwhile. (#5)
by jbn (#168) () on Wed May 29th, 2002 at 21:07:16 GMT
(User Info)

I took the quiz, gave all the correct answers, and came away thinking the test was challenging enough to be worthwhile. I wanted to know what they were telling the people who gave wrong answers, so I retook the test and gave the wrong answers for all the questions. But to me the most interesting thing to come from the quiz are the conversations that come up after people take it. I enjoy learning about what people come away with after hearing about the Free Software movement.

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[new] Another reason to be reluctant to use GPL (#6)
by norpan (#388) on Thu May 30th, 2002 at 13:37:59 GMT
(User Info)

Even with the license text in front of me it was hard to answer the questions correctly.

I agree that all software should be free, however the problem with the GPL is that it is incompatible with other free licenses (and the FSF even acknowledges this[www.gnu.org])."

The number of incompatible licenses for pathological reasons makes it hard to use code that really should be free.

The problem here is that many people don't want to use the GPL because it's impossible to overlook the consequenses of doing so.

So, GPL is not free, neither are the incompatible licenses, since they don't allow each other. The only truly free license is to put your work in the public domain.

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[new] a medium customarily used for software interchange (#13)
by crackmonkey (#259) on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 18:21:26 GMT
(User Info)

As usual, the FSF would have you believe that GPLv2 clause 3b requires you to send the source code on some physical token, such as a Compact Disc or magtape.

What the GPL does say, is that you need to provide "a machine-readable copy... on a medium customarily used for software interchange."

I hate to break it to you folks, but the Internet is fast outpacing the CD-ROM as a medium for software interchange. I always considered the GPL to be visionary for realizing that people wouldn't always be distributing software in the same way as they were in 1984. It's a pity that the FSF reads "medium" in such a limited manner.

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Free Software Quiz | 14 comments (14 topical, editorial) | Post A Comment
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