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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.mel.connect.com.au!news.mel.aone.net.au!grumpy.fl.net.au!news.webspan.net!www.nntp.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!news.mathworks.com!arclight.uoregon.edu!newsfeed.direct.ca!nntp.portal.ca!cynic.portal.ca!not-for-mail From: cjs@cynic.portal.ca (Curt Sampson) Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.setup,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.misc,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy,comp.os.os2.advocacy Subject: Re: Linux vs whatever Date: 29 Jan 1997 00:07:40 -0800 Organization: Internet Portal Services, Inc. Lines: 32 Message-ID: <5cn0gc$l27@cynic.portal.ca> References: <32DFFEAB.7704@usa.net> <32EE8E40.167EB0E7@freebsd.org> <5cmcpb$d0a@pulp.ucs.ualberta.ca> <5cmk98$3tp@solaria.cc.gatech.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: cynic.portal.ca Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.misc:155008 comp.os.linux.networking:66563 comp.os.linux.setup:94503 comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc:5790 comp.unix.bsd.misc:2115 comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy:51323 comp.os.os2.advocacy:264256 In article <5cmk98$3tp@solaria.cc.gatech.edu>, Byron A Jeff <byron@cc.gatech.edu> wrote: >Not strange at all. Without this protection some company will immediately >snap up all this hard work, modify it, not release the modifications, and >sell the results without anyone who produced the base getting any >compensation for their work. The GPL protects them. 1. If a company does all of that, but does release the modifications, the author still gets no compensation for his work. Thus he is not protected. 2. I do not see that companies selling code based on truly free software (under the Berkeley or similar licence) have harmed the free software industry or its authors in any way, shape or form. In fact, in the instances I've seen it's been a benefit. BSDI is without question a positive contribution to the BSD community in general, and allows me to install BSD in a shop where for political or management reasons one must purchase a commercial Unix. >But check out the benefits. Thousands of potential developers, millions >of beta testers and clients. Just like with truly free software. The GPL is addressing a problem that doesn't appear to exist. cjs -- Curt Sampson cjs@portal.ca Info at http://www.portal.ca/ Internet Portal Services, Inc. Vancouver, BC (604) 257-9400 De gustibus, aut bene aut nihil.