Re: [fink-core] Running Octave from Fink?

[Richard Stallman]

    This discussion started with Gnu Octave. Octave is an interpreter, so there
    are no downstream products. In what way can Apple's shenanigans on OS X
    create issues for users here? They are executing their code on the same
    non-free machine it was compiled on, and they have already agreed to said
    non-free environment.

We cannot allow people to add nonfree code to GPL-covered programs.
If that were allowed, people could release nonfree code to extend
GPL-covered programs, which is tantamount to making nonfree extended
versions of them.

I designed the system library exception carefully to avoid opening up
that danger.

That the code runs on a nonfree platform is no excuse for respecting
the users' freedom less.  The system library exception is meant to
cover the code that belongs to the system itself.  If we allowed
anything more, could we distinguish it from an arbitrary proprietary
add-on?

I have not finished reading all the mail you've sent, because it is
too much!  So I don't know how these points apply to the current
situation, and I don't have any conclusion to state about this case.

-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
President, Free Software Foundation
51 Franklin St
Boston MA 02110
USA
www.fsf.org  www.gnu.org
Skype: No way! That's nonfree (freedom-denying) software.
  Use Ekiga or an ordinary phone call