No subject

[Franklin, Joel]

> > What is the difference between giving software away and 
> > releasing it(s) code to the general public. What to stop me 
> > from duplicating the code, change a few variable and calling 
> > it my own...
> Copyright law; your own conscience.

More precisely...what you describe is a derivative work. The original author
has a great deal of control over programs which are derived from his
program.

Now, you could change all the variables, change all the syntax, change the
flow of the program, move some modules around, translate it into Pascal and
back, etc. The result would be a derivative work, but proving it to 12
non-programmers could be difficult.

BTW (hops up on soapbox) there is no logical reason for NOT releasing source
code with binaries. Source code has the same protection under patent and
copyright law as do binaries, Trade secrets are nonexistent when you ship
several million copies of the binaries that implement your secrets to Best
Buy. (This has nothing to do with freedom, of course.)