On 7/24/23 10:12, Gordon Messmer wrote: > On 2023-07-22 09:55, frank saporito wrote: >> On 7/22/23 02:29, Gordon Messmer wrote: >>> From my point of view, Red Hat doesn't really sell software. They >>> give away software. All of their software is available at no >>> charge, typically in an unbranded release. What Red Hat sells is >>> support. >> >> Does Red Hat give away software anymore? > > > Yes? I'm not aware of any Red Hat software that isn't Free Software. > > >> I am confused. Last month Red Hat announced that the source code >> would not be published. > > > That's not what they announced. The major-release branch of RHEL's > source code is still published to the CentOS Stream git repos. > > I think it's important to point out that Red Hat never published *all* > of RHEL's package source code. For the first six months of any > release of RHEL, they would publish de-branded source by essentially > taking one artifact from each build (the src.rpm), unpacking that in a > git repository, removing the primary source code archive, debranding > what was left, committing all of that, and then pushing the result. > It was basically git as a fancy FTP. > > They've stopped doing that, in favor of publishing the major-release > branch of the git repos for the entire primary support lifecycle of > the major release. > > >> The spirit of GPL was meant to force sharing and prevent the >> commercialization of the volunteer work of many. > > > It definitely wasn't. GPL software can't be made closed-source. > Customers have to receive the source code (or an offer for it), and > they have the rights that the license guarantees. But GPL software > can definitely be commercialized. > Gordon, I would like clarification on your recent post. There may be some nuances in your language that I need help understanding. Let me know if you disagree with any of these statements: 1. Red Hat is no longer posting source code to git.centos.org. (ref: Red Hat's June 21, 2023 announcement, https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/furthering-evolution-centos-stream, and Hackaday article published June 30, 2023, https://hackaday.com/2023/06/23/et-tu-red-hat/) 2. Red Hat will release source code to partners and customers via the Red Hat Customer Portal. (ref: Red Hat announcement) 3. Per Red Hat EULA, customers can not freely distribute the source code. (ref: Red Hat EULA) 4. Red Hat's policy decision has made it difficult (maybe impossible) for "clone" distributions to continue existing. (ref: Google "red hat source code") 5. Red Hat's policy change contradicts the GPL's spirit. The first four statements are facts (at least, I think they are.) The fifth question is opinion. I am not engaging in a heated debate - just trying to gain understanding. I appreciate your consideration. frank