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SubjectRe: FreeGPL license proposal (was Re: Linus Speaks About KDE-Bashing)
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"Jon M. Taylor" <taylorj@ecs.csus.edu> said:

[...]

> Here's a first stab at it, in english rather than formal legalese:

[...]

> * You can make whatever use you want with the binaries and/or the source.
> The license will specifically not have anything to say about
> "dependencies", "system libraries", linking, commercial vs.
> non-commercial use, etc.

> * You are NOT required to distribute the sources with binaries (or
> binaries with sources), nor are you required to provide pointers to
> where people can obtain the latest versions of either the source or
> the binaries, nor are you required to provide documentation or
> explanatory material beyond the text of the license.

Great! Please _do_ write something useful under that, I'll be more than
happy to get it, compile it and sell it for lots of money. After doing some
unspeakable evil things with the source to make it somewhat more convenient
to use, source modifications that I won't ever give to anybody so they'll
have to get each and every copy from me.

You see, the GPL was written in this exact way to _prevent_ stuff like the
X11R6.4 fiasko, or SunOS derived from BSD but non-free. Either you agree to
something very much like the GPL, or you get the above.

[...]

> That's it. Clear, simple, unambiguous [...]

...and totally useless.

If you want public domain, you can get it. Same thing goes for BSD style
licence. Just don't come complaining if they take your very own
VeryGlitzyWidget, turn it into ExtremelyGlitzyWidget and sell it dearly.

Why do you think RMS got lawyers to work out the GPL for/with him?

BTW, just some *extremely* *radical* idea just came into my mind: Why ton't
we take all this into gnu.misc.discuss, where it surely belongs?
--
Dr. Horst H. von Brand mailto:vonbrand@inf.utfsm.cl
Departamento de Informatica Fono: +56 32 654431
Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria +56 32 654239
Casilla 110-V, Valparaiso, Chile Fax: +56 32 797513

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