Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 14:52:28 -0600 From: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> To: Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@physics.iisc.ernet.in>, "Thomas M. Sommers" <tms2@mail.ptd.net> Cc: chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Why are people against GNU? WAS Re: 5.0 already? Message-ID: <4.3.1.2.20000519144654.04244100@localhost> In-Reply-To: <20000519085123.C28431@physics.iisc.ernet.in> References: <3924803C.7C5BD92C@mail.ptd.net> <000001bfbf78$b1b345c0$021d85d1@youwant.to> <3924803C.7C5BD92C@mail.ptd.net>
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At 09:21 PM 5/18/2000, Rahul Siddharthan wrote: >In a later mail RMS confirmed that this is his own opinion. I wrote > > > Is it ok to license one's software under "version 2 of the GPL, and > > only that version"? > > > > It is a bad idea, because when we have GPL version 3 and release other > > programs under version 3, your program will be stuck at GPL version 2. > > And it will be illegal to copy code between your program and all the > > other GPL-covered programs that are released under GPL version 3. > > Thanks. The claim which I needed to answer was that a person who > GPL's his program is forced to permit use of any later version, thus > allowing the FSF more control over the licensing terms at any time in > the future than he himself will ever possess. My answer (and that of > some others) was basically that nobody forces you to do it but people > do it out of choice. Moreover, even with the "any later version > option", if the GPL 3 turns out to have some undesirable clauses, > people will still have the *option* of continuing to distribute it > under version 2. This assertion is a trap and a snare. The moment *one contributor* submits new code under the new license, the entire work is contaminated by the new license. Stallman is being disingenuous, as usual, by trying to disguise the extent to which he wants to control GPLed software. --Brett Glass To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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