Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 08:51:23 +0530 From: Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@physics.iisc.ernet.in> To: "Thomas M. Sommers" <tms2@mail.ptd.net> Cc: chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Why are people against GNU? WAS Re: 5.0 already? Message-ID: <20000519085123.C28431@physics.iisc.ernet.in> In-Reply-To: <3924803C.7C5BD92C@mail.ptd.net>; from tms2@mail.ptd.net on Thu, May 18, 2000 at 07:43:56PM -0400 References: <000001bfbf78$b1b345c0$021d85d1@youwant.to> <3924803C.7C5BD92C@mail.ptd.net>
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Thomas M. Sommers said on May 18, 2000 at 19:43:56:
> David Schwartz wrote:
> >
> > The GPL does state:
> >
> > "Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
> > of this license document, but changing it is not allowed."
> >
> > But this does not grant permission to apply the GPL to your works
> > however you please.
>
> It doesn't have to. You can use it any way you want, subject to any
> restrictions on use that it contains, and it contains none.
In a later mail RMS confirmed that this is his own opinion. I wrote
> Is it ok to license one's software under "version 2 of the GPL, and
> only that version"?
>
> It is a bad idea, because when we have GPL version 3 and release other
> programs under version 3, your program will be stuck at GPL version 2.
> And it will be illegal to copy code between your program and all the
> other GPL-covered programs that are released under GPL version 3.
Thanks. The claim which I needed to answer was that a person who
GPL's his program is forced to permit use of any later version, thus
allowing the FSF more control over the licensing terms at any time in
the future than he himself will ever possess. My answer (and that of
some others) was basically that nobody forces you to do it but people
do it out of choice. Moreover, even with the "any later version
option", if the GPL 3 turns out to have some undesirable clauses,
people will still have the *option* of continuing to distribute it
under version 2.
and he answered
Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 10:27:00 -0600 (MDT)
From: Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
To: rsidd@physics.iisc.ernet.in
Subject: Re: GPL question
Reply-to: rms@gnu.org
My answer (and that of
some others) was basically that nobody forces you to do it but people
do it out of choice.
That is true.
Moreover, even with the "any later version
option", if the GPL 3 turns out to have some undesirable clauses,
people will still have the *option* of continuing to distribute it
under version 2.
That is true also.
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