AW: Information about the Free Software Foundation Europe

Michael.Kallas at kaufhof.de Michael.Kallas at kaufhof.de
Mon Dec 4 07:47:12 UTC 2000


	Hi to all,

	I want to correct something Armin Herbert wrote:
	<---snip--->
> Hm, I don't agree with this. Nowadays lawyers jugde about even more 
> complicated things like webbrowsers that are built into an OS. Not to say 
> that they do it well, but I think it shouldn't be too complicated to 
> explain the facts to a lawyer.
> 
> Software = A program that can be run by a computer
	Oh, no!
	Actually the meaning of "software" is _much_ greater.
	Definitions of software (there are many...) include any steps to
solve problems
	 which are "non-permanent" (so, not HARDware). That's why patenting
	software is such a bad thing: You could "invent" any kind of doing
things 
	and put a patent on it. * shiver * And that's just what big concerns
will be 
	trying to do!

> Source Code = The text a programmer has written that can be translated by
> a 
> compiler so that computers can run it.
> Free Software = Software that is delivered along with its Source Code and 
> the guarantee that anyone is allowed to run, reproduce, modify, translate 
> etc the Code as long as he keeps the copyright.
	As seen above, we must take care also here of the broader meaning...

> Better definitions can be taken from the GPL.
> 
	Greetings,
	Michael Kallas
	michael.kallas at web.de +++ michael.kallas at kaufhof.de



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