OT - Closing Off An Open-Source Product

[Chris Gonnerman]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Watson" <chris at voodooland.net>
Subject: Re: OT - Closing Off An Open-Source Product


> First lets agree on something if we can. I have always made it clear the
> GPL is not a free license. The delusion that it is boggles me. The things
> that make it non free are A) the fact it forces me to GPL my entire code
> base if I use it. B) That I must give out the sorce of the entire code
> base. That is not free by any stretch of the imagination. It's a license
> with restrictions just like MS, or Apple, or the MPL or ...

Ah.  "Free" for some definitions of "free" seems to be the problem here.
The GPL restricts your freedom in the given senses in order to make the
*code* more free.

Because it is under the GPL I have no fear that Linux will be commercialized
into a closed product.  With BSD it seems very unlikely that that would
happen, but it is possible.

I used to feel the same as you do about the GPL... but that was in the old
days, when I actually thought that I might make money from shareware.  I
have since discovered that 1) most shareware sucks, and 2) I make a fair
living in the service business.  It still grates on me when Stallman won't
let anyone say "Linux" in his presence without saying "GNU/" first (if he
really wants to ensure other's freedom he should shut the *#($(%! up) but
the GPL serves it's purpose effectively.

Do I use it?  Sometimes.  Most of the Python work I do is pure public
domain,
but I have released some small C works under GPL or LGPL.

> haha No need to explain that. But you are obviously using OE because it
> has better features, and functions than anything else you can get. Or you
> obviously wouldnt be using it at all. So it can't suck to bad. So closed
> apps are not all bad.

On my old Pentium in the house, Mozilla performs badly, and I can't stand
the
email client in Netscape 4.x.  I tried Eudora but don't like it either;
Mahogany
looks pretty good but I haven't gotten around to trying it.

So long as OE doesn't GPF on me I'll probably still use it on this computer.
On my office machine, it's straight Mozilla.