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Comment by tutfbhuf | Hacker News Reader

I had already read that when it was published, and I think it's very vague.

> Fortunately, there are alternative methods available to obtain source code, and we would like to highlight two examples

Okay, you list two options for obtaining the source of any RHEL binaries, but which one of these do you currently use? Or can't you say anything about it due to legal reasons?

> These methods are possible because of the power of GPL. No one can prevent redistribution of GPL software.

Not every RHEL binary is GPL-licensed, though. How do you plan to obtain the source for non-GPL-licensed binaries, where there might be no legal guarantee to obtain the source?

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The vagueness is not intentional, it's vague only because at the time it was written we hadn't decided on a particular source. For Rocky Linux, RHEL cloud instances are currently the primary source.

Not every RHEL binary is GPL licensed, but all the packages we distribute have an open source license permitting such redistribution. There are a few left out, for example some Red Hat proprietary artwork, tools, etc.

I often get a bit of a feel of the Monty Python "Nudge Nudge Wink Wink" sketch from talking with folks who think we're doing something legally dubious.

> For Rocky Linux, RHEL cloud instances are currently the primary source.

Okay this answers the first question thanks.

> Not every RHEL binary is GPL licensed, but all the packages we distribute have an open source license permitting such redistribution.

Regarding the second question, fair enough, you are allowed to redistribute the source code. However, there is no legal obligation for Red Hat to distribute the source code to you for non-GPL binaries. So, what happens if you cannot obtain the source code of the Red Hat binaries (non-GPL) via your RHEL cloud instance workaround? Essentially, Rocky relies on an RHEL cloud instances workaround to fetch sources that could stop working (for non-GPL) at any time. Not such a bright and shiny future, if you ask me.

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