[gNewSense-users] Re: gNewSense-users Digest, Vol 27, Issue 4

[Matthew J. Fisher]

> Did you ask RMS about programs with no license headers or programs
> that happen to not include a copy of the license?

These are files in which the header asserts copyright, but does not
mention a license.

> If GPL headers are there, then the author has probably just forgotten
> to include a copy of the license and usually a note will clear that
> up. If you've got programs with no headers at all or just a smattering
> of BSD and MIT, then I don't think you can assume that those programs
> are free.

If a license were mentioned at all -- and even it just said "Distribute
under GPLv2" -- I would have categorized the file as being under GPLv2.

I expect that these files were meant to be free, but all they say is
something like this:

* Copyright (C) 2000,2001,2002  Andi Kleen, SuSE Labs (x86-64 port) 

The simple, but inconvenient, interpretation is that this means "not
free" until otherwise specified.