Re: [Caml-list] BSD vs. GPL

[Matt Gushee <mgushee@havenrock.com>]

On Wed, Apr 14, 2004 at 12:38:08AM -0700, Brandon J. Van Every wrote:
> 
> > All I hear is "gimme, gimme" when non-free software
> > developers ask for MIT/BSD
> > and LGPL licenses.  I am a non-free software developer
> > myself, so don't think I don't see from that perspective.
> 
> Idealists think the programmer is supposed to contribute massive amounts
> of time and money for the betterment of all mankind.

I'm not sure which idealists you're referring to ... but assuming you
mean the FSF itself and RMS, I have to ask:

Have you actually listened to (or read) what Stallman says on the
subject? Yes, he does believe that Free Software is good for all
humankind. But I think the above statement grossly misrepresents the
GNU ideology. Stallman has stated on numerous occasions that people
should be able to make money by developing and selling software; what
they should not be able to do is to accumulate wealth simply by
controlling intellectual property.

Now, it is of course debatable how well the GNU model works in practice.
Certainly there are few examples of business success based on GPLed
software. But it's still early in the game.

We don't have to agree with Stallman's philosophy, but I think we must
acknowledge his and the FSF's contributions to what we now know as open
source. Without the trail blazed by the FSF there would very likely be
no Linux, no Apache ... and no open source OCaml.

-- 
Matt Gushee                 When a nation follows the Way,
Englewood, Colorado, USA    Horses bear manure through
mgushee@havenrock.com           its fields;
http://www.havenrock.com/   When a nation ignores the Way,
                            Horses bear soldiers through
                                its streets.
                                
                            --Lao Tzu (Peter Merel, trans.)

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