On Mon, Aug 02, 1999 at 01:23:22AM -0400, Mike Goldman wrote: > To take a somewhat more concrete example: suppose I write a program which can > be > used to design explosive devices. Such devices have many appropriate uses, in > mining, construction, and so forth. Perhaps it is unnecessary that I > explicitly > restrict use by terrorists, since terrorism is illegal. (However, if I did so > anyhow, would that make my license DFSG-non-free?)
Yes. > On the other hand, perhaps I > do not wish for my software to be used by certain governments for "military" > purposes - which are by definition "legal", yet just as clearly destructive. > Must an author permit such military use for a license to be DFSG-free? Yes. And anyway, do you really think that they would care a dime about the restrictions in the license if they would need the software for their secret work? If you don't want your software to be used for such purposes, don't write it. That's the only way to prevent this. I wonder how people can think that they can surpress illegal activities by some words in a software license when copies of the latest PC software are traded by school kiddies during the break. The license of a free software program is one of the worst places I can think of to promote and endorse your personal preferences in politics, miliary, ethnic and religion. There are better places for social engagement. About your above example. Great. Such software could also NOT be modifed and used by the military to find a way to detect and destroy mines in places where a war has ended. Every medaillon has two sides. Marcus -- `Rhubarb is no Egyptian god.' Debian http://www.debian.org finger brinkmd@ Marcus Brinkmann GNU http://www.gnu.org master.debian.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] for public PGP Key http://homepage.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/Marcus.Brinkmann/ PGP Key ID 36E7CD09
