Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by kriberg 1082 days ago
They could also release just application source code and not the spec files for building the package. It's the spec files and the patches that's central in this conflict, not the actual source code, but people keep conflating the two.
1 comments
jzb 1081 days ago
Red Hat may release spec files to conform to the requirement that source code includes "scripts used to control compilation and installation of the executable."

Note that this particular requirement got a fair amount of attention in 2011 when Red Hat changed its kernel source releases and stopped breaking out patches. (Here: https://lwn.net/Articles/430098/)

link
kriberg 1081 days ago
Hard to judge if that covers just makefiles or if it also covers rpms. Guess it makes sense they should share the scripts required to rebuild the binary as it's delivered by them
link
jzb 1081 days ago
Yeah. Here I see Red Hat trying hard to live up to the letter and spirit of the GPL, but it's not getting appropriate credit on that one.

In some ways I think of the GPL(s) like the Bill of Rights. Great document, great ideas behind it - falls flat in some respects today due to age and ambiguity.

link