Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 22:04:38 +0000 From: Mark Ovens <marko@uk.radan.com> To: dyson@iquest.net Cc: brett@lariat.org, freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: The GPL and the Robinson-Patman Act Message-ID: <19990223220438.C216@localhost> In-Reply-To: <199902231909.OAA03734@y.dyson.net>; from John S. Dyson on Tue, Feb 23, 1999 at 02:09:23PM -0500 References: <36D2AF58.A2FB5E82@uk.radan.com> <199902231909.OAA03734@y.dyson.net>
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On Tue, Feb 23, 1999 at 02:09:23PM -0500, John S. Dyson wrote:
>
> One of the basis of my beliefs is to follow the licenses of others, in
> meaning and legally. I could not knowingly violate someone elses license
> and be happy with myself.
Which, of course, is the right and proper thing to do.
> In a sense, the GPL world is depending on
> the honor of those who it is most destructive.
>
This confirms what I thought. The GPL and Berkeley-style licence
work more through a "Gentlemens Agreement" than the threat of a
law suit and, as another poster pointed out, a PR disaster if, for
example, FreeBSD were to hijack GPL code and release it under a
Berkeley-style licence.
None of this of course is protection against M$ taking a Linux or
FreeBSD distribution and releasing it with an M$ logo (Minux or
Winux?) under their EULA. The bad PR is hardly likely to concern
them. After all everyone slags off M$ anyway, so a bit more isn't
going to make any difference.
A daft idea M$ releasing a version of Linux/FreeBSD?
Not necessarily. Linux/FreeBSD with an M$ logo would be a lot more
attractive to the suits than Linux with a Red Hat logo. It would
evolve more and more towards NT until it disappeared, but it would
give them a lot of control over the "free" Unix market and severely
damage the market share of real Linux/FreeBSD. After all they didn't
release IE to make a profit on it as a product but to influence
and exert control on the market, the ultimate aim of which I suspect
is control of the Internet.
And what could anyone do to stop them? I doubt FreeBSD would have
a case as it wouldn't contravene the FreeBSD licence (would it?) and
the only way the FSF could enforce the GPL is through the courts,
but could they afford to take on M$?.
> --
> John | Never try to teach a pig to sing,
> dyson@iquest.net | it makes one look stupid
> jdyson@nc.com | and it irritates the pig.
>
--
FreeBSD - The Power To Serve http://www.freebsd.org
My Webpage http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~markov
_______________________________________________________________
Mark Ovens, CNC Apps Engineer, Radan Computational Ltd. Bath UK
CAD/CAM solutions for Sheetmetal Working Industry
mailto:marko@uk.radan.com http://www.radan.com
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