Source code and test suites

[Alex Hudson]

On Thu, 2006-01-19 at 12:48 +0100, Jeroen Dekkers wrote:
> Because you don't distribute (or propagate in GPLv3 terms) anything
> when running a test suite on a program, I don't see how the GPL could
> enforce anything about test suites.

I guess if the program is complex enough and the output needs to be
correct, you can argue that the source without the test suite is not the
complete source code (not the preferred form for modification).

It would be a bit like if the program was originally coded full of pre-
and post- conditions and tests, but those were stripped out in the
released source. The test suite is like a builder's scaffolding, and
removing it potentially makes the job a lot harder. But, I'm not sure
this is anything more than a bizarre corner case.

Cheers,

Alex.