[GRASS5] why GPL

[Jan-Oliver Wagner]

On Mon, Mar 26, 2001 at 06:08:59PM -0800, strobe anarkhos wrote:
> Protection isn't the issue, reciprocity is the issue.

protection is an issue.

> >You know the examples of X11 and BSD. Only stronger protection in
> >licensing made the GNU systems as viable and popular as it is now.
> >So in short: I doubt that your implications are working as you
> >propose in the long term.
> 
> What about X11 and BSD?

Both are licensed weak (X11: MIT License, BSD: BSD License).
Around X11 several prorietary/non-free software projects have
been developed. While you may say this is a good thing, I say that
several interesting improvements to X11 got separated from each other.
So the X11 server A has some advantages over X11 server B and vice
versa. This decreased the overall quality and slowed down advances.
I don't want this to happen to GRASS where the fundamentally broad
support as it exists for X11 is not existing.

What about BSD? Good question :-) GNU/Linux is known far better.
IMO this is because the kernel of GNU/Linux is GPLed.
It makes the system more attractive to contribute (because
people just like the idea of freedom).

> I hardly use any GNU-ware myself. The only one I use is probably gcc.

Funny to see that gcc is GPLed :-)
Why don't you use a compiler under a weaker license?
(Answer: because they did not evolve to the same quality).

> Stability isn't the issue. GPL doesn't make code stable. Talk about a red herring.

GPL makes code stable. Of course not via the legal words in it -
that would be your red herring.
GPL is a kinf of an attractor. It pulls people together who like
the idea of freedom (as in free speech). If there are are technically
equal opportunities for the same type of software, many people
will contribute to the GPLed one and report bugs, etc.
Besides, they will get back any benefit anyone contributes
(not just bug fixes but also add-ons and stuff like that).

> like Eric Miller said, protection isn't the issue, reciprocity is the issue.

protection is an issue. people like it.

> The LGPL license offers the same protection as the GPL.
> FSF changed the title from 'Library' to 'Lesser' for political reasons, it
> has nothing to do with the license verbatim.

Simply not true. Please read pre-ambles.

Jan

-- 
Jan-Oliver Wagner               http://intevation.de/~jan/

Intevation GmbH	              	     http://intevation.de/
FreeGIS	                               http://freegis.org/

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