From owner-freebsd-chat Sun Jan 13 22:33:18 2002 Delivered-To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Received: from catalyst.sasknow.net (catalyst.sasknow.net [207.195.92.130]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D416D37B400 for ; Sun, 13 Jan 2002 22:33:15 -0800 (PST) Received: from localhost (ryan@localhost) by catalyst.sasknow.net (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g0E6Y8Z44659 for ; Mon, 14 Jan 2002 00:34:09 -0600 (CST) (envelope-from ryan@sasknow.com) X-Authentication-Warning: catalyst.sasknow.net: ryan owned process doing -bs Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 00:34:08 -0600 (CST) From: Ryan Thompson X-X-Sender: ryan@catalyst.sasknow.net To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: GPL and AI Message-ID: <20020114001636.P3656-100000@catalyst.sasknow.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk List-ID: List-Archive: (Web Archive) List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: X-Loop: FreeBSD.org I don't understand the GPL. Can anybody help me out, here? Suppose that, in the making of an artificially intelligent sentient being, one incorporated or extended GPL-protected software components. Suppose, as well, that this being was sufficiently advanced to be classified as a life form, for whatever definition of "life form" seems convenient to your argument. Would the new life form be restricted by the GPL? Would its own rights have any bearing? If the new life form had intimate relations with another AI licensed under, say, a BSD-style license, without protection, would the other AI necessarily become infected with GPL? (What if they merely "look" at each other and get "ideas"?) Would their kids get it, too? [ Maybe this seems fantastical right now, but then again, so was the idea of 30-year-old software with two digit dates still running 'till Y2K. *THAT* was expensive to fix and re-program. ] Any thoughts? - Ryan -- Ryan Thompson Network Administrator, Accounts SaskNow Technologies - http://www.sasknow.com #106-380 3120 8th St E - Saskatoon, SK - S7H 0W2 Tel: 306-664-3600 Fax: 306-664-1161 Saskatoon Toll-Free: 877-727-5669 (877-SASKNOW) North America To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message