GPL Infectiousness

Top Page
Attachments:
Message as email
+ (text/plain)
Delete this message
Reply to this message
Author: Robert Bushman
Date:  
Subject: GPL Infectiousness
On Mon, 30 Sep 2002, der.hans wrote:

> It's not more viral than the licenses from the proprietary vendors. In fact,
> less so because it doesn't 'taint' you. The original license for UNIX source
> from AT&T prohibited people from ever working on similar projects.


Yes - I think Sun's early CSL did this too.

But there are those who claim that the GPL
is *not* viral. It is, isn't it? (though
viral in a good way)

> The proprietary vendors are trying to make it look like the GPL is
> unreasonable when it's actually their licenses that are unreasonable. We
> shoudn't be defending the GPL, they should be defending their practices.


It seems that neither of us should be defending
anything. It's my software, I'll release it
under the GPL if I damned well please, right?

----------------------------------------------------------------------
"We're on the threshold of a whole new system. The time where
accountants decide what music people hear is coming to an
end. Accountants may be good at numbers, but they have terrible taste
in music. I don't know how I'm going to get paid, but I'd rather go
out into the brave new world than live with dinosaurs that are far too
big for their boots." - Keith Richards - Rolling Stones Guitarist
----------------------------------------------------------------------