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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!nntp.coast.net!howland.erols.net!www.nntp.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!news.iquest.net!not-for-mail From: "John S. Dyson" <dyson@freebsd.org> Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.unix.bsd.misc,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy,comp.os.os2.advocacy Subject: Re: GPL Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 22:32:11 -0500 Organization: John S. Dyson's home machine Lines: 67 Message-ID: <32F167BB.41C67EA6@freebsd.org> References: <32DFFEAB.7704@usa.net> <32ED1866.34F02393@indiana.edu> <5cl66d$l52@web.nmti.com> <5cmiuu$iud@garuda.synet.net> <5cokgi$alm@web.nmti.com> <L3U8y0gTz/TM091yn@ibm.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: dyson.iquest.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (X11; I; FreeBSD 3.0-CURRENT i386) Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.misc:155293 comp.os.linux.networking:66751 comp.os.linux.advocacy:81781 comp.unix.bsd.misc:2156 comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy:51446 comp.os.os2.advocacy:264558 Mouth of the South wrote: . > > Although JD claims that GPL is seductive, it is actually BSD that is > seductive, luring unsuspecting programmers to write code for an OS that > appears to have technical superiority, while in fact is licensed in a > manner which chokes its potential growth. > BSD copyright makes no claims about being free, or have any allusions to some "higher" goal. BSD licensed software is simply freer. And we don't have the "higher" goal of trying to seduce other peoples ideas away with the BSD license terms. > > BSD appeals to the Evil Software Hoarders because they like to keep > their derivative code a deep, dark secret so that, at least in their > own minds, they can make pots of money selling their little secrets. > Isn't that great!!! It is especially good when the little business uses the BSD networking code as a platform (for example) with few encumberances (and NONE of their own IP.) Imagine the BSD networking stack in various kinds of networking appliances... Oh, that's right it is already happening. And you know, it has absolutely no negative impact on BSD that they are using the code. And also, those various kinds of networking appliances don't have much code that we could use anyway -- so where is the loss? Oh yeah, there is a company selling BSD -- what if they steal all of FreeBSD's code? So what? How would that hurt Free/Net/Open BSD? Hasn't so far, has it? In fact, that company has tried to help us more than we have been able to accept and use (and that is our fault -- not theirs.) > > Too bad for them, because plenty of money can be made by giving code > away and selling professional services to support it. > Works great for BSD also. In fact, lots of money is being made selling GPLed code also, in the guise of support. Of course, you need the support to get the code... :-). (That is counter to the intent of GPL, and I would have some ethical problems with myself being in the position of "selling" GPLed software in the guise of support.) Given the license terms, I follow them, whether I think that they are good for the industry or world or not. > > It doesn't matter if you give away the source code, because in most > cases they can't possibly manage it without help. If they take a > dislike to you, since they have source code they can fire you and get > somebody else, but so what? There are plenty more technology junkies > where they came from. > And you know, they (the commercial companies) can choose to give their derivative IP away or not, with BSD licensed software. Of course, the GPL takes alot of the commercial companies choice away. Almost any small company that I have worked for would freely redistribute non-core business software (with a little coaxing.) BSD licensing helps them to be able to continue to keep their own, private IP, without the encumbering effects of the evil, condemning GPLed derived works (publically available mods of their own code.) (Big companies usually have overly conservative policies, so I kind of ignore them when redistributing non-core business software.) John