Date: 20 Dec 2001 16:16:01 -0800 From: swear@blarg.net (Gary W. Swearingen) To: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> Cc: chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: GPL nonsense: time to stop Message-ID: <716671whq6.671@localhost.localdomain> In-Reply-To: <4.3.2.7.2.20011219235317.00e55b00@localhost> References: <Pine.LNX.4.21.0112190048271.29122-100000@ugrad.unbc.ca> <Pine.LNX.4.21.0112190048271.29122-100000@ugrad.unbc.ca> <4.3.2.7.2.20011219235317.00e55b00@localhost>
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Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> writes: > The correct definition of "proprietary" is as follows: A product > or protocol is proprietary when others cannot produce products that > interoperate with it, are compatible with it, or are equivalent to > it. Well, that sentence is undoubtably true; those kinds of products and protocols are surely proprietary. But one shouldn't then use that as a definition of "proprietary". I suppose Stallman thought: Software is proprietary when it has more restrictions than the GPL. Both yours and his are true, but it doesn't justify the redefining "proprietary" to exactly the limitations of use you are concerned with. Another term for what you describe is "closed" products or protocols. Hence the "Open Software Foundation", etc. The fact that much proprietary information is secret has lead people to confuse the two (and also "closed"). They have distinct meanings. Patented ideas are unquestionably proprietary information and yet completly open. Same for GPL'd and BSDL'd software (except that it IS questioned ;-). In its rawest, least mangled-by-confusion, meaning it is simply "not in the public domain". Here is a more verbose version along the line you propose: "Something is proprietary when others are not free to use it in some manner." Or "Something is proprietary when a person has limited the rights of others to use it." I recognize that groups come up with jargon, but if they're going to talk Intellectual Property, they shouldn't mess with IP jargon. It's probably too late, though; maybe I should give up. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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