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My understanding is that the GPL only requires the source code to be made available on request for at least 3 years (or as long as you support the software, if
by bdw5204 3y ago
My understanding is that the GPL only requires the source code to be made available on request for at least 3 years (or as long as you support the software, if more than 3 years). If you want to require people who want the source to write to you via the Post Office and pay shipping+handling+cost of a disc to receive the source code, I believe this is permitted by the GPL as long as you don't profit off of the cost.
Of course, for almost all practical cases, the source code for a GPLed program is made available as a download off the Internet because the mail order disc route seems really archaic these days and probably would be removed altogether in a GPL version 4 if some prominent company used this loophole to evade the spirit of the GPL. Either that or somebody would jump through your hoops to get the source and just stick it on a public GitHub repo. If you then DMCA that repo, you'd be in violation of the GPL.
If you share an GPLed executable with your friends or with other people at a company, then they'd presumably be able to request the source code. But if you run a Cloud GCC service with your fork, you could get away with keeping your source code proprietary because GCC isn't under AGPL.