On Sat, Mar 19, 2005 at 06:47:25PM +0000, Angus Leeming wrote: > >> And I am still interested why I should sign not just GPL v2 (which is > >> just fine) but also any following version including the one that says > >> that FooBar Inc owns all my code. > > > > For convenience. > > Even less excitingly, because the current LyX licence is "GPL v2 or later".
I noticed that in the meantime. > We're not trying to change the licence, we're just bullet proofing the > desire to remove the XForms exception. I appreciate that. > > When a new GPL comes out and it is significantly better > > than the old one, it can be used straightaway without asking anybody > > again. > > > > If push comes to shove and the FSF goes "evil", it is still us that do > > the releasing. Yes, FooBar Inc could release their own rip-off of LyX > > under GPL v666, but it wouldn't remain the mainstream version for long. > > Incidentally, does the FSF not own the Gnu and GPL trademarks? Ie FooBar > Inc would be breaking trademark rules by releasing GPL v666. Unless they buy out the FSF first. It looks like I can't really resist here, however I am not happy at all about this "or later" thing. I am interested to keep my code (well, at least the part related to LyX) free and open in the spirit of the current GPL. If GPL v3 takes the same path, it will be just fine, and of course I can see the convenience point to have this "automatic update feature" installed. But so far IT has seen quite a couple of guys jumping from good to bad to in-between and the other way round (IBM, SCO, MS, ...) and there is no guarantee that the FSF won't sell there ideals or will be forced to do so to FooBar666 Inc at some point of time which immediately will release GPL666. I doubt that I am the only paranoid person in this audience, so why is _everybody_ so eager to have this 'or later' thingy explicitly signed? Andre' PS: > Even less excitingly, because the current LyX licence is "GPL v2 or later". Am I right in assuming that this may be read that everybody is happy with v2 and the LyX license could be changed to 'v2 only' without problem? [Never mind, just thinking aloud...]
