Re: [Caml-list] Re: License wars

[Sven Luther <luther@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr>]

On Thu, Jan 23, 2003 at 10:33:37PM -0700, Matt Gushee wrote:
> On Wed, Jan 22, 2003 at 05:57:27PM +0100, Michaël Grünewald wrote:
> > 
> > > should know what they just agreed to. And unfortunately, most software
> > > licenses never get read; they're just too damn long and complex. If
> > > you're an open source developer, you have probably read the GPL, but I'd
> > > wager most end users haven't. And you have undoubtedly also used
> > > Microsoft products. Have you ever read their EULA in its entirety? I bet
> > > you haven't.
> > 
> > Oh, these poor little users that want to use software without any
> > effort, that's so lovely ...
> > 
> > Any computer user must have read and understood the licence (or, less
> > bad than nothing, a digest) of the software it uses. This is pointless
> > to care of the ones that do not. Even if they come from the whole
> > majority, faults must not be agreed but fighted against.
> 
> In principle I agree that users should not expect to be able to use
> software without effort. I certainly have invested considerable effort
> to develop my own skills, both as a user and a developer, and I am proud
> that I have done so (and continue to do so). But I also believe that
> computers and software developers should serve society, not vice versa.
> 
> You are entitled to take whatever attitude you choose toward users; I
> choose a different attitude from yours. One reason is that I am
> interested in using my software to attract consulting business, and
> perhaps at some point to develop a commercial product. So for me, users
> are potentially customers, and if I made statements like yours I would
> not have any customers (actually I have none right now anyway, but I'm
> working on that ;-).

BTW, a dual licence GPL+proprietary, is even better then for you than
the BSd, since you can release the software under GPL for everyone, and
then have another proprietary release for folk not wanting the GPL. With
a BSD licence, this is not the case, because anyone can take the code
and make anything they want with it.

Friendly,

Sven Luther
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