> > > The problem here, Sean, which you seem to be ignoring, is that > > > you're treating the GPL as if it were somehow *worse* than a > > > proprietary license. It isn't. > > > > Ah, but it is though. Hear me out: > > > > A proprietary license doesn't foster a community to stand behind > > it to work on software that is unavailable to widget makers. > > Well, it seems the OSSAL fosters a community to stand behind it to > work on software that may be later *usurped* by widget makers. See > below. > > > The GPL was, with I believe malintent, crafted specifically toward > > preventing widget makers from basing products on existing code. > > Further, the GPL encourages primary copyright holders to release > > code that is unusable to anyone but the primary copyright holders. > > Speaking of malintent, it may be argued that the OSSAL encourages a > corporation with a large amount of financial backing to issue a > large "upgrade" to their or someone else's open source product and > issuing it as closed source software for sale, thereby essentially > doing a "bait and switch" tactic. But this is already allowable > under BSD. No, the OSSAL tries to *prohibit* someone else from > exercising the same freedoms over the code to create a GPL fork.
But that's free enterprise and something that they can do... now they have to maintain it, perform their own audits, etc. While I personally would request that those changes be sent back to the community, I believe it to be the large corporation's right to do so. In granting them that right, I also am granted the right to do the same if I see it fit. That's free will and the "right" or "wrong" choice will be determined by the markets. [snip] > In that spirit, I would like to suggest that the issue at hand > cannot be resolved by the Dialectic -- arguments to zero in on the > truth. I fully agree that there is next to zero chance for a complete consensus as to what's right, best, etc., but I think that arguments such as these are a wonderful tool/aid to strengthening each everyone's positions (for better or worse) and then letting life determine the rest. > Sean is, as far as I can tell, coming from a politically "rightist" > perspective, whereas folks like RMS are coming from a "leftist" > perspective. Please, please, please don't lump me in with the political right wingers. The extent of what I will say on politics is that I believe in market driven economies and letting _open_ markets correct themselves. The Open Source world is as good of an open market as I've ever seen. [snip] -sc -- Sean Chittenden -- license-discuss archive is at http://crynwr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi?3
