Bruce Perens on OSI

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Author: Seth Johnson
Date:  
Subject: Bruce Perens on OSI
LOL!

Everything about the GPL *just automatically applies*
because it's copyrighted. It says "license," but there's no
contract involved, or required. That's the essence of a
copyleft.

One interesting way to articulate the difference between
"open source" and "free software" is in terms of copyleft
versus licensing: Open sourcers start from the premise of
licensing software. Think about it. Licensing software
came about (before Bruce Perens and OSI started) really
because some commercial interests realized that copyright
would probably not cover things like code or algorithms
according to their interests very well. Then they proceed
to work up UCITA, to plug the holes in the licensing
proposition, blah blah blah. Not that open sourcers are in
that camp, but they do tend to overlook the fact that they
are starting from the premise of licensing -- rather than
the "Kung Fu magic" of copyleft.

That's why copylefters aren't going to be convinced that a
clickwrap license is consistent with the idea of free
software.

Seth Johnson