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Oracle: Keep Linux Open and Free—We Can’t Afford Not To
(www.oracle.com)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Oracle doing what they're doing is literally explicitly and intentionally permitted under the licensing of the Linux kernel.
It's not abusing anything. It's the purpose of the license.
If we're going about what's technically permitted, then RedHat is also permitted to change licence, close it down and stop any new versions from being open or free. All their development goes into the upstream so I don't even know what Oracle is trying to say here. Except "we want open access to RHEL, not just upstream sources like CentOS".
No they aren't. Not unless they remove all the GPL code from their software.
It's the entire purpose of the GPL. You can never own derivative code.