[GNUrag]

Originally Posted by enoonmai

Man, I really gotta sit and pore over the GPL license laws.

The essays written by Stallman at http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/ can be a good start. Especially the essays written under the section called Licensing Free Software available at :
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philos...ngFreeSoftware

Remember, if you wanna get the GPL and Free software philosophy right you need to do a lot of reading.

Originally Posted by enoonmai

Now I get it, thanks. So, they can put GPL and non-GPL parts together and distribute it,

As long as the application's license says that it is redistributable, no one can stop the vendors from bundling it in their distributions. However, a Non-Free software can also be freely redistributable. Just as i said about the nvidia drivers, same is applicable to the Proprietary Sun Java Virtual Machine, Realplayer plugin, Macromedia Flash Plugin etc. etc.. these are all proprietary software but they are freely redistributable as per their license, and hence the vendours shamelessly bundle these cr@ppy software and nullify the meaning of freedom.

Originally Posted by enoonmai

but the GPL does not apply to distros themselves, right?

The distributions cannot be licensed with GPL or any other free public license, since it is not an original peice of work. Distributions are based on various contributors and independent software authors. However, the distributions can be copyrighted.

Originally Posted by enoonmai

Of course, I should have figured that considering how every other distro has some proprietary code in it.

Sometimes the distribution vendours are helpless themselves. Its the people who demand that they want Flash player, Sun Java, etc. etc.. so they have to include some proprietary software in it.

Originally Posted by enoonmai

So, umm, tell me something else, let's see I buy Linspire, and I get access to the GPL source code in my my.Linspire account, and I decide to change it for my own use. Doesn't that mean it immediately ceases to be Linspire because of the modified code and the absence of the proprietary code such as CNR, etc.?

No, it will not cease to be linspire. I can explain, if you elaborate more on this.