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Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mel.connect.com.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!paladin.american.edu!zombie.ncsc.mil!news.mathworks.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!howland.reston.ans.net!torn!watserv3.uwaterloo.ca!undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca!vluu From: vluu@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca (Viet-Trung Luu) Subject: Re: GPL (was Re: Linux vs FreeBSD) Sender: news@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca (news spool owner) Message-ID: <DK6oG3.76@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca> Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 07:50:26 GMT References: <489kuu$rbo@pelican.cs.ucla.edu> <4bbs2d$bet@snowdon.elsevier.co.uk> <DJzAnw.87x@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca> <4bfq0g$k8@dyson.iquest.net> Nntp-Posting-Host: lagrange.uwaterloo.ca Organization: University of Waterloo Lines: 59 Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.advocacy:32027 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:11440 In article <4bfq0g$k8@dyson.iquest.net>, John S. Dyson <root@dyson.iquest.net> wrote: >Excellent -- this is one of the best comments that I have seen so far >in this discussion. Specifically, it then becomes important that the >programmer understand the ramifications of the license terms. This is >what I see this discussion is about. Thanks... the problem *is* largely in understanding the license terms however. I've seen too may interpretations of both the BSD and the GPL licenses to make me feel very comfortable. While the BSD license is fairly straightforward, the GPL is a little more imposing. Programmers are *not* lawyers and in any case, lawyers probably wouldn't agree on the interpretation of the GPL anyway. This leads me to wonder if programmers know what theyare doing (in terms of licensing) and also how the GPL would stand up in court. >IT SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS ANTI-LINUX or ANTI-BSD, but as additional >input as to the license terms that the programmer might use. Certainly not! ;-) Of course, there are many other which use the BSD and Gnu licenses also! >Let me say one thing, before I was educated on the terms of the GPL >license, I thought that it was the "neatest thing since sliced bread". >It does have some unpleasant side-effects (of course so does BSD copyright), >but those side-effects should be understood before applying a copyright that >could eventually take away the original authors right to use the (modified GPL) >code in certain applications. To some people, it is a non-issue, and the >GPL is fine... To me, some of the terms of GPL disqualifies it for my >use. Yes, and it's your choice. For others, having their code used commercially is an issue. I think that the GPL may be ideal for programmers who want their code to remain public. Unfortunately, it limits their own use of their code, but I guess that's just a way of preventing people from adding a few lines of code and claiming it as their own. What disturbs me is that the GPL looks like it was written by lawyers *for* lawyers... >To take this thread as "Linux/BSD is bad because of GPL/BSD"is not the right way >to see it. (In fact, I don't take things like that personally but try to >correct sometimes patently incorrect conclusions.) It would best be >"Linux/BSD has restrictions on it's use because of certain license >terms" is the RIGHT way to see it. Now, more programmers who write code >might have a better understand as to the issues of copyright and license >terms. Yes, and it certainly is important that they understand what these licenses do. The part of the GPL I've always wondered about was the part preventing people from modifying it. It has its purpose, I guess, but it is on the restrictive side. Both the GPL and the BSD license have their advantages and their disadvantages. I think that the best thing for many programmers to do is to refrain from slapping the GPL (or BSD license) on their code immediately, at least until they have a clear understanding of what they want to do with their code (Linus originally had a more restrictive license, I believe). Once the code has been released under GPL, the programmer loses a lot of control over it. - Trung