%% Mike McCarty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: mm> Isn't that one of the claims of most people who support the use of mm> the GPL? That, since everyone just labors on it for love, or mm> whatever, and that the source is available, then the quality will mm> be better?
I don't know about what "most people" claim, but that's not part of the manifesto of the FSF or reason behind the GPL. I haven't read this entire thread, but let me say that the primary goal of the FSF, and the reason they created the GPL, and the reason they USE the GPL, is in no way, shape, or form about making better quality software. That may, or may not, be a side-effect. Also, the FSF and GPL also aren't concerned with maximizing the freedoms of any particular individual; if they were then obviously public domain is the right way to go. What the GPL is all about is maximizing the amount of available free software (where "free" is defined by the traditional freedoms to examine, modify, and redistribute, as discussed on the FSF's web site). That goal means that some individual freedoms are not available, but this isn't uncommon: there is often a trade-off between individual freedoms, and freedom of the group in general. mm> So, the GPL tells me what I can do with something I purchased. It mm> tells me how I can dispose of it, and under what conditions. And mm> discourages me from making modifications to it, because then I've mm> got to release that, too. If the fact that you don't want to distribute your modifications when you distribute the "result" of your modifications is a discouragement to you, then definitely the GPL is not for you. The people who choose the GPL are doing so for a very specific reason: They are not totally altruistic. They want something in return for their work that they provide you. It's not necessarily money: instead it's that you contribute any enhancements you make to their work back into the commons. If that quid pro quo is not to your liking then you should definitely stay away from the GPL. mm> Oh, and I've got to assign the rights to the Free Software mm> Foundation. That's a primary point in the GPL. Because otherwise mm> the FSF and you and whoever cannot get standing. You might mm> investigate that part of it. That's totally, absolutely untrue. Not even close to being true. IF you modify a program where the FSF is the copyright holder (and there is far more software under the GPL where the FSF is not the copyright holder than otherwise--the Linux kernel for example), and you want to contribute your changes back to the FSF, then yes, the FSF will ask you to assign your copyrights before they accept the changes. This is so there is one unambiguous copyright holder for the entire software package. When you do this, the FSF will send you an agreement giving you complete freedom to use all the code you contributed in any other way you like, under any other license you like (not anything derived from the GPL, but if you extracted out your code and only your code). If you don't want to do this you STILL have an alternative: you can fork the project and provide that version (still under the GPL of course). The copyright assignment has exactly nothing to do with the GPL. It's solely a bookkeeping/legal protection procedure that the FSF has instituted before it will accept changes into _ITS_ software. mm> If the fit is good, then fine. For me, the fit is not good, so I mm> don't use it. For people who try to make a living writing mm> software, who are not members of the idle rich, and who cannot mm> afford to donate a significant portion of their lives to giving mm> away software it generally is not a good fit. One part which makes mm> this a bad fit is that anything which the GPL touches it invades. You are looking at this incorrectly. The FSF isn't against anyone making money. There are many ways to make money on software that does NOT involve using a proprietary license. The GPL can actually _HELP_ you make money. Why do you think the MySQL folks, the Qt folks, etc., release their stuff under the GPL? -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul D. Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Find some GNU make tips at: http://www.gnu.org http://make.paulandlesley.org "Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
