Joseph Carter wrote: > > Let me understand this... You are a Debian developer? > > And you have openly hostile feelings for the GPL, as evidenced by > this thread. Your above sentiments show you openly hostile to free > software in general. If you have these opinions, why the hell did > you become a Debian developer in the first place?
Yes, that is a good question, and it explains why I have been at this so long. I'm trying to understand this GPL thing to see if I can stay a Debian developer in good conscience. I apologize that I started this thread so poorly -- not that I knew in advance that it would lead here. I decided to join Debian because I thought free software was more about education than anything else. It was rare for me to read someone else's source code without learning something substantial. So, I thought it was nice that people I didn't even know would freely contribute to my education, and when I reached a decent level of proficiency, I wanted to give back. So, I joined Debian and packaged a couple of things and added a couple of supporting utilities. Minor stuff in general but especially minor compared to everything else Debian does. Still, it was one more finger in the dam. Then I wake up one day to learn that GPL isn't what I thought it was. Well, its social reach extended further than I thought it did. It seems to be about making sure that the community immediately has access to the source code to the exclusion of almost any other consideration. If I believe it is perfectly fine for software authors to keep their software locked up if that's what they choose to do, does that mean I should not be a Debian developer? Must not be a Debian developer? Does it matter that I personally believe that giving out source -- if that is what the author chooses to do -- is a good thing because it furthers education? Paul Serice
