GPL, HFSLIP license, what "free" means

[msg2048]

In short--what is the HFSLIP license? Is it the GPLv2? Or is it a modified GPL?

If I look in "hfslip.cmd", it says this.

This program is free software... General Public License... version 2... HFSLIP can be freely used for any personal non-commercial purposes.

The GPL license tells people what they can do with the software. It also says that the code can be sold for profit. By limiting to personal use or non-commercial use, that goes against the policy of the GPL.

No?

[fdv]

The GPL license tells people what they can do with the software. It also says that the code can be sold for profit. By limiting to personal use or non-commercial use, that goes against the policy of the GPL.

No?

No.

Where is commercial use addressed at all? According to the GPL, "Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this License." The creator is perfectly within his rights to restrict commercial use.

Also, do you see a warranty in the preamble? No, because there's not one there. TommyP can restrict the program's use but let's say that you ignore that because after all, he can't be there standing over your shoulder while you violate the added terms of his licensing and install it in a corporate environment. Then something goes wrong. Who knows what. You can't point to him and say 'it's HIS fault! He coded this program and he should be liable!"

He did it not to make a fortune, but to provide a personal solution to Windows users. I can't speak for Tom, but he didn't do this to take on the kind of liability that can come with providing an enterprise solution.

You mention selling for profit. Yes, you could conceivably do so. But by law and by the terms of the license you have to provide source and the copyright notice. Once people see that they can get this for free -- which you would be required to disclose -- you probably wouldn't make very much $$. Taking GPL'ed code verbatim and publishing it along with the authorship and selling it isn't a very good business model. The GPL doesn't make something public domain.