Date   : Sun, 11 Jan 2009 12:11:51 +0000
From   : pete@... (Pete Turnbull)
Subject: {OT] Decoding a Sparkplug file

On 11/01/2009 11:41, Adam Sampson wrote:
> Pete Turnbull <pete@...> writes:
> 
>> Since when is it "non-free"?
> 
> Sorry -- I mean "non-free" in the sense that the license it's under has
> restrictions that mean it doesn't quite qualify as open source, which
> means it's unlikely to be packaged for you already in Linux/BSD
> distributions. If it was, you'd usually need to look for it in a section
> called something like "non-free" or "restricted". (This is pretty common
> for older freeware; the license in this case isn't particularly
> objectionable, it just makes distributing the software awkward.)

That's because it predates GPL and predates the availability of 
well-known centralised repositories for source code.  The intent is 
exactly the same, and if you look you'll find it is actually declared to 
be public domain and so distributing the source is not a problem.

-- 
Pete                                           Peter Turnbull
                                               Network Manager
                                               University of York