[fpc-pascal] GPL advertising - was Scripting in FPC

[Jonas Maebe]

On 10 Feb 2006, at 18:16, L505 wrote:

>> The GPL only requires that you keep the credits in the sources, not
>> that you advertise other people's work or products inside your own
>> program, even if your program somehow uses that functionality.
>> Imagine otherwise the credits list required for programs like the
>> GIMP or so if each used library would have to be mentioned along with
>> a link to some home page. You'd spend more time on maintaining that
>> list than on actually adding new functionality.
>
> In all my source files I at least like to give a web address so  
> people can find out
> where to find more information, such as essays, articles etc. I've  
> written about the
> source. If my website just so happens to contain some commercial  
> product on it then
> that is too bad,

Why is that too bad? The GPL is not against commercial products, and  
does not have any problems with you or anyone else putting URL's in  
their source files. It only has a problem with you if you want to  
force other people to put your url in their program and/or  
documentation.

> I think in remobjects case all he was doing was pointing people to  
> the website just
> like how I point people to my website. There are articles on  
> remobjects on how to use
> the software, and useful info. No problem with giving web address  
> according to human
> instinct, but problem with giving it according to GPL.

The GPL does not forbid putting an URL anywhere, it only forbids  
forcing other people to put it somewhere.

> Hey look at me, we are wasting
> all this time discussing whether it is "right" or not,

No, the original discussion was about whether or not a particular  
clause was (L)GPL compatible.

> I guess you choose which one is more a waste of time. Personally I  
> think wasting time
> discussing a license is in fact more waste of time than just  
> programming and adding
> some URL's to the file.

It is not a waste if you would otherwise unknowingly violate a  
license without the correct information.


Jonas