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Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!think.com!GRAPEVINE.LCS.MIT.EDU!ai-lab!hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu!not-for-mail From: mycroft@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Charles Hannum) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc Subject: Re: GPL again. Sigh. (was Re: So you say you want an interim release...) Date: 6 May 1993 00:33:14 -0400 Organization: dis Lines: 44 Message-ID: <1sa4ea$2et8@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu> References: <1qvpc9$1e8@agate.berkeley.edu> <PC123.93May5000713@bootes.cus.cam.ac.uk> <C6J0wq.40n@kithrup.com> <PC123.93May5232259@bootes.cus.cam.ac.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: hal.ai.mit.edu Surprise! This is not a flame... In article <PC123.93May5232259@bootes.cus.cam.ac.uk> pc123@cus.cam.ac.uk (Pete Chown) writes: > > I don't want to start this flame war off again, I only posted on the > subject because I wanted to suggest setting up an archive of ported > GNU software for those who didn't mind the GPL. There already *is* one; alpha.gnu.ai.mit.edu:/386bsd (soon to switch over to NetBSD). I've set up this archive not necessarily because I think the GNU software is better. (In fact, in many cases it's just larger, slower, and buggier.) I set it up only because I recognize that many people want the GNU versions of utilities; I don't even use most of it myself. >> In addition, glibc, and the Linux libc, are not better "because they >> are under the GPL." They are better despite being GPL'd... > > Quite so. I missed out a comma, causing you to make a parse error. > I leave you to work out the details... :-) I don't agree. The only problem I'm aware of in the current NetBSD library is the inaccuracy of printf()ing floating point numbers. > The Linux libc is certainly free of a lot of the annoying glitches in > the BSD one. Would you care to elaborate on what these `annoying glitches' are? I certainly haven't seen any reported. If I hear about them, I will fix them (within reason; this *is* volunteer work, after all). >> 1. I can make a case that the LGPL buys one nothing over the GPL. > > I read it again, and I believe you are right. I am impressed not that you agree, but that you actually reread it. -- \ / Charles Hannum, mycroft@ai.mit.edu /\ \ PGP public key available on request. MIME, AMS, NextMail accepted. Scheme White heterosexual atheist male (WHAM) pride!