Slackware Linux Essentials
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Appendix A. The GNU General Public License

+ +

Table of Contents
A.1. Preamble
A.2. TERMS AND CONDITIONS
A.3. How to Apply These Terms to Your New +Programs

+ +

GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
+
+Version 2, June 1991
+Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+ +59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
+ +Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this
+ +license document, but changing it is not allowed.

+ +

A.1. Preamble

+ +

The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and +change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your +freedom to share and change free software--to make sure the software is free for all its +users. This General Public License applies to most of the Free Software Foundation's +software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. (Some other Free +Software Foundation software is covered by the GNU Library General Public License +instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too.

+ +

When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General +Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies +of free software (and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code +or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new +free programs; and that you know you can do these things.

+ +

To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you +these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights. These restrictions translate to +certain responsibilities for you if you distribute copies of the software, or if you +modify it.

+ +

For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, +you must give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, +too, receive or can get the source code. And you must show them these terms so they know +their rights.

+ +

We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software, and (2) offer you +this license which gives you legal permission to copy, distribute and/or modify the +software.

+ +

Also, for each author's protection and ours, we want to make certain that everyone +understands that there is no warranty for this free software. If the software is modified +by someone else and passed on, we want its recipients to know that what they have is not +the original, so that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on the original +authors' reputations.

+ +

Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software patents. We wish to +avoid the danger that redistributors of a free program will individually obtain patent +licenses, in effect making the program proprietary. To prevent this, we have made it +clear that any patent must be licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at +all.

+ +

The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification +follow.

+ +

A.2. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

+ +

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, +DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

+ +

+
This License applies to any program or other work which contains a notice placed by +the copyright holder saying it may be distributed under the terms of this General Public +License. The “Program”, below, refers to any such program or work, and a +“work based on the Program” means either the Program or any derivative work +under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it, +either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another language. +(Hereinafter, translation is included without limitation in the term +“modification”.) Each licensee is addressed as “you”.
+ +
Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this +License; they are outside its scope. The act of running the Program is not restricted, +and the output from the Program is covered only if its contents constitute a work based +on the Program (independent of having been made by running the Program). Whether that is +true depends on what the Program does.
+
+
You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's source code as you +receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on +each copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the +notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any warranty; and give any other +recipients of the Program a copy of this License along with the Program.
+ +
You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and you may at your +option offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee.
+
+
You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion of it, thus forming a +work based on the Program, and copy and distribute such modifications or work under the +terms of Section 1 above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions:
+ +
1. +
  You must cause the modified files to carry prominent notices stating that you changed +the files and the date of any change.
  +
2. +
  You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part +contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at +no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License.
  +
3. +
  If the modified program normally reads commands interactively when run, you must cause +it, when started running for such interactive use in the most ordinary way, to print or +display an announcement including an appropriate copyright notice and a notice that there +is no warranty (or else, saying that you provide a warranty) and that users may +redistribute the program under these conditions, and telling the user how to view a copy +of this License. (Exception: if the Program itself is interactive but does not normally +print such an announcement, your work based on the Program is not required to print an +announcement.)
  +
+ +
These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If identifiable sections of +that work are not derived from the Program, and can be reasonably considered independent +and separate works in themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those +sections when you distribute them as separate works. But when you distribute the same +sections as part of a whole which is a work based on the Program, the distribution of the +whole must be on the terms of this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend +to the entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote it.
+ +
Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest your rights to +work written entirely by you; rather, the intent is to exercise the right to control the +distribution of derivative or collective works based on the Program.
+ +
In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program with the +Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a volume of a storage or distribution +medium does not bring the other work under the scope of this License.
+
+
You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section 2) in +object code or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that +you also do one of the following:
+ +
1. +
  Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must +be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for +software interchange; or,
  +
2. +
  Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third +party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, +a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed +under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software +interchange; or,
  +
3. +
  Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer to distribute +corresponding source code. (This alternative is allowed only for noncommercial +distribution and only if you received the program in object code or executable form with +such an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.)
  +
+ +
The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for making +modifications to it. For an executable work, complete source code means all the source +code for all modules it contains, plus any associated interface definition files, plus +the scripts used to control compilation and installation of the executable. However, as a +special exception, the source code distributed need not include anything that is normally +distributed (in either source or binary form) with the major components (compiler, +kernel, and so on) of the operating system on which the executable runs, unless that +component itself accompanies the executable.
+ +
If distribution of executable or object code is made by offering access to copy from a +designated place, then offering equivalent access to copy the source code from the same +place counts as distribution of the source code, even though third parties are not +compelled to copy the source along with the object code.
+
+
You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program except as expressly +provided under this License. Any attempt otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense or +distribute the Program is void, and will automatically terminate your rights under this +License. However, parties who have received copies, or rights, from you under this +License will not have their licenses terminated so long as such parties remain in full +compliance.
+
+
You are not required to accept this License, since you have not signed it. However, +nothing else grants you permission to modify or distribute the Program or its derivative +works. These actions are prohibited by law if you do not accept this License. Therefore, +by modifying or distributing the Program (or any work based on the Program), you indicate +your acceptance of this License to do so, and all its terms and conditions for copying, +distributing or modifying the Program or works based on it.
+
+
Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the Program), the +recipient automatically receives a license from the original licensor to copy, distribute +or modify the Program subject to these terms and conditions. You may not impose any +further restrictions on the recipients' exercise of the rights granted herein. You are +not responsible for enforcing compliance by third parties to this License.
+
+
If, as a consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent infringement or for +any other reason (not limited to patent issues), conditions are imposed on you (whether +by court order, agreement or otherwise) that contradict the conditions of this License, +they do not excuse you from the conditions of this License. If you cannot distribute so +as to satisfy simultaneously your obligations under this License and any other pertinent +obligations, then as a consequence you may not distribute the Program at all. For +example, if a patent license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Program +by all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then the only way you +could satisfy both it and this License would be to refrain entirely from distribution of +the Program.
+ +
If any portion of this section is held invalid or unenforceable under any particular +circumstance, the balance of the section is intended to apply and the section as a whole +is intended to apply in other circumstances.
+ +
It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any patents or other +property right claims or to contest validity of any such claims; this section has the +sole purpose of protecting the integrity of the free software distribution system, which +is implemented by public license practices. Many people have made generous contributions +to the wide range of software distributed through that system in reliance on consistent +application of that system; it is up to the author/donor to decide if he or she is +willing to distribute software through any other system and a licensee cannot impose that +choice.
+ +
This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to be a consequence +of the rest of this License.
+
+
If the distribution and/or use of the Program is restricted in certain countries +either by patents or by copyrighted interfaces, the original copyright holder who places +the Program under this License may add an explicit geographical distribution limitation +excluding those countries, so that distribution is permitted only in or among countries +not thus excluded. In such case, this License incorporates the limitation as if written +in the body of this License.
+
+
The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new versions of the General +Public License from time to time. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the +present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns.
+ +
Each version is given a distinguishing version number. If the Program specifies a +version number of this License which applies to it and “any later version”, +you have the option of following the terms and conditions either of that version or of +any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. If the Program does not +specify a version number of this License, you may choose any version ever published by +the Free Software Foundation.
+
+
If you wish to incorporate parts of the Program into other free programs whose +distribution conditions are different, write to the author to ask for permission. For +software which is copyrighted by the Free Software Foundation, write to the Free Software +Foundation; we sometimes make exceptions for this. Our decision will be guided by the two +goals of preserving the free status of all derivatives of our free software and of +promoting the sharing and reuse of software generally.
+
+
NO WARRANTY
+ +
BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, +TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE +COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE PROGRAM “AS IS” WITHOUT +WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE +IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE +RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM +PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR +CORRECTION.
+
+
IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY +COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM AS +PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL +OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM +(INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES +SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER +PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGES.
+

+ +

END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

+ +

A.3. How to Apply These Terms to +Your New Programs

+ +

If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest possible use to +the public, the best way to achieve this is to make it free software which everyone can +redistribute and change under these terms.

+ +

To do so, attach the following notices to the program. It is safest to attach them to +the start of each source file to most effectively convey the exclusion of warranty; and +each file should have at least the “copyright” line and a pointer to where +the full notice is found.

+ + + + + +

+<one line to give the program's name and a brief idea of what it does.>
+   Copyright (C) <year>  <name of author>
+
+   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+   the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
+   (at your option) any later version.
+
+   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+   GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+   You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+   along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+   Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA   02111-1307 USA
+

+ +

Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.

+ +

If the program is interactive, make it output a short notice like this when it starts +in an interactive mode:

+ + + + + +

+Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) year  name of author
+Gnomovision comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type `show w'.
+This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
+under certain conditions; type `show c' for details.
+

+ +

The hypothetical commands `show w' and `show c' should show the appropriate parts of +the General Public License. Of course, the commands you use may be called something other +than `show w' and `show c'; they could even be mouse-clicks or menu items--whatever suits +your program.

+ +

You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your school, if +any, to sign a “copyright disclaimer” for the program, if necessary. Here is +a sample; alter the names:

+ + + + + +

+  Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the program
+  `Gnomovision' (which makes passes at compilers) written by James Hacker.
+
+  <signature of Ty Coon>, 1 April 1989
+  Ty Coon, President of Vice
+

+ +

This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into +proprietary programs. If your program is a subroutine library, you may consider it more +useful to permit linking proprietary applications with the library. If this is what you +want to do, use the GNU Library General Public License instead of this License.

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