Ballmer tells another bald-headed lie.

'The way the license is written, if you use any open-source software, you have to make the rest of your software open source....Linux is not in the public domain. Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches. That's the way that the license works.'

Classic FUD. OK, this is true if 'use' means 'use the source code in another product.' It's not true if 'use' means 'run the compiled software,' an act which the GPL specifically says is unrestricted.

I'm not talking about source code here.

Okay, you are getting confused here. Yes, you are allowed to sell GPL software. But you are also forced to make the software avialable at no charge to anyone who ask for it. They didn't put that in the FAQ, but it's in the license.

Notice that it doesn't limit who can demand the the source & binaries. 3. 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:

a.. a) 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,

b.. b) 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,

c.. c) 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

Im not confused. You said you cant charge for the software... GNU says you can charge as much as you want, or can get.

I told you so.

Thats right. You can put it on ftp or a number of other ways to access it.

yes, that is int he faq.

You act as if people can storm your house demanding software. Get a grip.

I know all of that. it doesnt change the fact that you can chagre, in fact GNU encourages people to sell software.

Note that you can withold any amount of data like pictures, tables, sounds, etc, etc, even data that is very much needed to run the program (in a meaningful manner).

Said Ayende Rahien in comp.os.linux.advocacy on Sun, 3 Jun 2001 06:06:51

No, you are 'forced' to distribute it to any third party if you distribute it, and you are prevented from charging for licenses.

They didn't put it in the FAQ because your reading of the license is in error.

[...]

Yes, it does. It limits it to 'any third party'. Which, if your intent is to distribute the software, sounds a lot like a market profile.

Actually, you are not 'forced' to distribute it to anyone, even if you do distribute it to others. You simply cannot put restrictions on those others from redistributing it and you must make source available to those you distribute it to, and ONLY those you distribute to (but again, you cannot restrict those you distribute source to from redistributing it).