Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2001 10:14:06 -0700 From: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> To: Jeremy Karlson <karlj000@unbc.ca> Cc: Craig Harding <crh@outpost.co.nz>, chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: GPL nonsense: time to stop Message-ID: <4.3.2.7.2.20011218095233.028ea920@localhost> In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.21.0112180119550.29122-100000@ugrad.unbc.ca> References: <4.3.2.7.2.20011217222907.028403b0@localhost>
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At 02:26 AM 12/18/2001, Jeremy Karlson wrote: >Okay then, I'm curious to see EXACTLY which things need to be "corrected" >in your view. I'm not interested in the GPL-non-GPL debate You should be. Being truly free for all uses is the essence of the BSDs and one of their key strengths. Stallman & Co. would LOVE to see this vital "edge" disappear. So long as there is apathy and a lack of awareness of the GPL's dangers, the BSDs are in danger of being assimilated into the GNU Empire. >(and I'm >putting "corrected" in quotation marks to avoid the battle), but let's see >a list. I'm thinking core stuff only, and I'm assuming (for the moment) >that we're going to continue using GCC, unless you've got other plans. > >If you've got the list, maybe there are some takers here. First and foremost: drivers and kernel modules must be un-GNUed. (See /usr/src/sys/gnu.) This may mean rewriting some of them and/or getting them properly relicensed. Next, we move to the userland. The GPLed stuff here is in /usr/src/gnu and /usr/src/contrib. (Note that in the latter case GPLed software is intermingled with non-GPLed software, contrary to claims that it has been isolated.) Fortunately, there are non-GPLed versions of many of the utilities to be found in the source trees of the other BSDs -- OpenBSD in particular. A few items will need to be rewritten, but not many. The parts that will take the longest to reimplement properly -- it will be a multi-year effort to remove them -- are the toolchain. FreeBSD should never have become dependent upon the GNU tools, because the FSF owns them lock, stock and barrel. The FSF can, at any time, restrict the use or distribution of these tools. (I believe that it is Richard Stallman's plan to wait until GCC wipes out most or all commercial C compilers and then require that all output of the compiler be licensed under the GPL. He cannot pull this "bait and switch" just yet, but in a few years he will be able to. If he does, the projects most at risk are the BSDs. (Bruce Perens has already stated that he wants "Version 3" of the GPL to limit the use of the output of GPLed programs. It's just a matter of waiting until the community's head is fully inserted into the noose.) We must begin planning now for this development, to which the FSF's agenda and Stallman's malice against commercial developers (or anything -- including the BSDs -- that offers them aid and comfort) will inevitably and inexorably lead. --Brett To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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