Re: nmap is non-free software

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   > Even propietery software companies are alloewd be able to run
   > free software for any purpose, the nmap license expliclty
   > prohibits that;

   I don't agree that it prohibits them from running nmap, only from
   running it ‘within’ their programs.

The clarification section in
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html has a detailed summary of
what freedom zero is about:

  The freedom to run the program means the freedom for any kind of
  person or organization to use it on any kind of computer system, for
  any kind of overall job and purpose, without being required to
  communicate about it with the developer or any other specific
  entity. In this freedom, it is the user's purpose that matters, not
  the developer's purpose; you as a user are free to run the program
  for your purposes, and if you distribute it to someone else, she is
  then free to run it for her purposes, but you are not entitled to
  impose your purposes on her.

As a propietery orgianization you are required to communicate to nmap
if you are running (or incorperating) the nmap software and get a
different license. 

  Proprietary software companies wishing to use or incorporate Covered
  Software within their programs must contact Licensor to purchase a
  separate license

There is little to be unclear here.

   I read that as similar (if not their own reading of) GPL's
   ‘derivative work’.

It is definitly not; a deriviate work means you've actually done
something to the software -- not just running or using it it.