"Jeffrey B. Siegal" wrote:
> A common misconception.
>
> The GPL does not require someone to release their software without any fee.
> It requires that:
>
> a) Anyone to whom they give the object code also have a right to obtain source
> code
> b) They may not prohibit people from further modifying and redistributing the
> software.
Which still means that as soon as you have sold a single copy, you have no
legal monopoly on your source code. In other words it will just be a matter
of time before it's generally available.
On the other hand, you can obviuosly sell a product including GPL code
such as the Linux kernel which isn't all free. You can include non-software
components such as support and manuals in the product, and you can also
include other pieces of software which isn't linked to the kernel or any other
GPL code, and is thus not tainted by GPL.
But the point with the GPL derivates of GPL code can't legally be monopolized
unless the entire product is kept private.
If this is a concern, it might be better to base products on FreeBSD where there
are no such restrains, but it's not obvious that this is as important as it seems.
I this brave new information world, beyond the industrial world, it seems that
service and customer relations mean more and more, and the products them-
selves mean less and less. Thus source code monopoly might not be such a big
thing.
Considering the rates of the Red Hat stocks ($236 => Market Capitalization =
$16B!!!) it's obviously possible to get very rich on free software, on the other
hand it remains to be seen if it's possible to build a profitable company on such
a base. (Red Hat has still to make a profit--so far their sales have not covered
their costs (disregarding their sales of stocks of course ;-).)
/Magnus
--
Magnus Lyckå MScEE, ThinkWare AB, Folktrovägen 6C, S-907 51 Umeå
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