Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 16:42:21 -0700 From: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@time.cdrom.com> To: joelh@gnu.ai.mit.edu Cc: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: What's so evil about GPL Message-ID: <17330.837474141@time.cdrom.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 15 Jul 1996 19:25:55 EDT." <199607152325.TAA08896@goldman.gnu.ai.mit.edu>
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> That's a task you already undertook. You decided to distribute the > program, even if that entails only a single tape. One method of > satisfying the GPL means handing them an extra tape with the sources. I think all of this somewhat misses the point. It's not important so much for *us*, since as you say we're already distributing sources and in the software distribution business, more or less. Whom it's important to are folks who'd like to take FreeBSD and develop proprietary strains of it, releasing binary only versions. Some might find such a scenario distasteful, but I don't feel it's our position to judge "good uses" from "bad ones" and if someone wishes to make a go at doing a commercial version, I feel I've done by job by putting as few barriers in their way as possible. This is where the GPL/RMS and I differ significantly. He'd like to prevent people from creating proprietary software as part of a wider agenda (for which I support the general goal, just not the means), I too would like to see more free software but believe firmly in the carrot rather than the stick. Whether the carrot or the stick works better in practice is almost immaterial since I simply cannot justify (to myself) the use of sticks anyway. Jordan
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