[ILUG] SUSE Linux 9.3 Professional Edition licensing survey results

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Steven Satelle (ssatelle at gmail.com):

> Isnt some of this against the GPL, especially the part about people
> you pass the software onto not getting the same rights as you?

No.  

I don't know how many times I have to say this, but each constituent
codebase has its own licensing.  When you receive a GPLed package as
part of a distribution, even if it's part of a tightly controlled,
shrink-wrapped retail distro package a la Xandros, you enjoy a right of
redistribution _of that codebase_ specifically granted by the copyright
owner, plus a guarantee of access to source code under sections 3a, 3b,
or 3c, etc.  That right doesn't encumber or otherwise affect your rights
-- or lack of rights -- to other codebases on the same distribution
media.

GPLv2 itself clarifies this point in its wording about "mere
aggregation".  Which, please read.