Novell and SuSE

Am 17. Jan, 2004 schw=E4tzte Chris Gehlker so:

> I'm not really as anti-corporate as all that. My agenda is simply to
> warn people that the GPL doesn't work the way one would think it does
> after reading the FSF's Free Software Definition or listening to the

It works just as I'd expect. Maybe I've just been unlucky enough to
understand the 'corporation' or 'business entity' as a 'person' legal stanc=
e
in the .us. Wouldn't it be cool if they'd do it for real and lock up MCI an=
d
Enron for 25 years?

> public pronouncements of its leading members. My personal stake is just
> that my friend and I were burned by a school district in the way that I
> have previously related. I want to warn others so that they may avoid
> my fate. It never occurred to me that the 'users' to whom I was
> granting right could be anyone other that the students and teachers.

I understand your frustration with that situation. I understand your seeing
this as a weakness in the GPL. I also see that it's good to not require
people/organizations release something that they're only using internally.

I don't want to be told I have to release something I'm only using for
myself, though, so I can understand a company having the same attitude.

> When the Free Software Definition uses the term 'user' it is as likely
> to refer to an organization as a human being. Don't let phrases in the
> Free Software Definition such as "so you can help your neighbor",
> "release your improvements to the public" and "so that the whole
> community benefits" mislead you into thinking that by using the GPL you
> are actually granting any rights to flesh and blood human beings.

I think it's already been agreed that rights are indeed being granted to
flesh and blood human beings. Yes, you're correct though, rights are also
being granted to other forms of legal entities.

ciao,

der.hans
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