Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 10:43:19 -0600 From: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> To: "Jason C. Wells" <jcwells@u.washington.edu> Cc: chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Idea: "GPL Plus" Message-ID: <199805061643.KAA08867@lariat.lariat.org> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.980506090935.409A-100000@s8-37-26.student.wa shington.edu> References: <199805060549.XAA02561@lariat.lariat.org>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
At 09:25 AM 5/6/98 -0700, you wrote: >I like the Berkely license. In this case Mr. Glass, it seems that you >waiver slightly with respect to the ongoing issue regarding GPL zealots. >(No insult intended. Just fleshing out the issues.) Why would we even want >to write a license that gives GPL any credit by inclusion of "GPL" in the >title "GPL Plus"? Marketing. People who do not even know what the GPL *says* routinely tout it as The One True Way to stimulate the production of free software! They're convinced that brilliant genius Richard Stallman crafted The Holy Writ, and So Mote It Be forevermore. The notion that this is explicitly intended to be an an improvement could win over some of these people, whereas that "California license" -- which they're used to thinking of as coming from an opposing camp -- wouldn't. As for GPL: Unless it's a trademark, one can use it. Come to think of it, even if it *is* a trademark, you may be able to say that the license is "downward compatible" with the GPL. ;-) >I have read the GPL a couple times but I am no lawyer. It seems to me that >the primary GPL aim is to prevent people from making money off of other >peoples volunteer work. If an hacker is worried about this let him use >GPL. The primary aim goes beyond this: it's to make the GPL "virus-like" and to undermine the development of commercial software. Have you ever talked to Richard Stallman? His goals are pretty darn explicit. (No, EMPHATIC would be a better word. ;-) >IN this respect (to address Mr. Glass' concluding statement) I do not >think a GPL Plus would convince any GPL zealots of anything because GPL >zealots use GPL _precisely_ because they don't want any one making money. > >(Rant) After reading FSF page I must say I see a bit of hippy communist >lawyer turned hacker in their verbage. I remember the part of a post >scarcity society. I don't buy this, therefore I don't really bite into the >GPL. This is entirely personal. (Rant off) > >I don't think this is where the FreeBSD camp pitches its tent. I think GPL >is restrictive. I think Berkeley is Free(dom). I don't see the need for >change. Again, not so much change as better marketing.... And raising awareness of what the GPL says and that there's a choice. --Brett To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199805061643.KAA08867>