Re: Binary Differencer/Patcher for OS X?
Re: Binary Differencer/Patcher for OS X?
- Subject: Re: Binary Differencer/Patcher for OS X?
- From: ryan <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 19:11:01 -0700
On 4/10/03 5:20 PM, "Axel Andersson" <email@hidden> wrote:
>
On Friday, Apr 11, 2003, at 01:34 Europe/Stockholm, Steve Bennett wrote:
>
>
> Does anyone know of a program or set of programs that run on Mac OS X
>
> and
>
> allow me to take two versions of a binary file, create a small patch
>
> file
>
> from them, and later recreate the later version of the binary file
>
> from the
>
> older version of the file and it's patch? I need to do both of these
>
> native
>
> on OS X, and distribute it as part of our commercial package's
>
> automated
>
> update program.
>
[snip]
>
> (FLAME ON -- Really, I understand the basic concept behind the GPL
>
> license,
>
> but making GPL software completely unusable for commercial projects is
>
> bloody annoying. I've stuck more than my share of software into the
>
> public
>
> domain and it will be a cold day in Hell before I GPL one bit of it.
>
> GPL
>
> software *isn't* free -- the cost is your OWN code, which is worth a
>
> lot
>
> more... <grrr> -- FLAME OFF)
>
>
While I don't have any suggestions on a binary patch program, could you
>
please explain your intentions with such a program? I don't think
>
there's anything in the GPL to stop you from simply using an
>
application for commercial purposes. Those clauses are more related to
>
the redistribution or incorporation of the source code of said would-be
>
application.
>
>
Or did I misread, are you going to build something off the source of
>
the patcher?
>
Even if one built a custom patcher from GPL'ed source, you'd only have to
GPL the derivative product - a product is usually defined as a unit of link.
That is, if you don't actually include the binary diff program into your
main program, you don't have to make your main program GPL.
An analogous example is even though Project Builder uses both GCC and GDB
(both GPL projects), PB itself is not GPL - why? Because GCC and GDB are
_separate_ programs, and hence PB is not an derivative product.
Thus simply USING a GPL binary patcher means nothing - you don't have to
distribute the source to the binary patcher - you can provide a link to the
project site of the GPL and you're in 100% compliance.
In this case, the only thing the GPL does is ensure that if you make
improvements to the binary patcher, those changes go back to the community,
and that you are required to provide source or a link to source of the
program.
The assertion that GPL and commercial software is incompatible is not
correct.
A side note, if you truly understand the basic concepts of the GPL, you
wouldn't be stating that GPL is inherently conflicting with commercial
interests.
Regards,
-ryan
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