> > > > Businesses using OSSAL software would give the business the > > > > ability to create proprietary software, even though the > > > > non-core parts are most likely open and available to the > > > > public. > > > > > > The same is true of software under the BSD license. > > > > Correct, but the BSD license does not ensure that all software > > developed will be available under terms friendly for businesses, > > which goes back to the point of me writing the OSSAL. > > If someone takes BSD-licensed code, modifies it and does a > binary-only release, the modifications are not available at all. So > businesses cannot use these modifications.
Correct, but it did give the business a place to start from allowing them to complete a product faster. > If someone takes BSD-licensed code, modifies it and releases the > result under GPL, the modifications are available but with certain > restrictions. Now businesses cannot use the modifications either > (unless they accept the restrictions). Which is why I wrote the OSSAL... > So I don't really see the difference here. In both cases the > modifications are not available without restriction. Why does it > matter that in one case they are licensed under a restrictive > license? Because I believe that if I provide, as an example, a programming language and someone writes a module for that language, the least that the module author can do is release the module under business friendly terms. If someone writes a module for my lang but releases it under the GPL, if I want to use that module, I have to duplicate that effort. If I don't want to maintain my copy, I'll open source it (the logical thing to do to keep costs/bugs down), but this leaves two competing projects in the same space. Time is more precious to me and I'd rather not have anyone waste it as a result of some idealogical whim. I personally have invested roughly 1.5K hours in 2003 on this project, a little reciprocity/quid pro quo would be nice and that's what the OSSAL delivers me. As the license discussion states, "if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." -sc -- Sean Chittenden -- license-discuss archive is at http://crynwr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi?3
