wxPython Licence vs GPL

[Alex Martelli]

Steven D'Aprano <steve at REMOVETHIScyber.com.au> wrote:

> On Thu, 24 Nov 2005 16:00:29 -0500, Mike Meyer wrote:
> 
> > I believe in GPL'ed software - I use it regularly. On the other hand,
> > I don't believe that it represents the best license to release
> > software if the goal is to improve the lot of humanity. The
> > restrictions are on "distribution", not on use, 
> 
> Why would you want to restrict use?

I can think of many reasons.  For example, if the author of some piece
of software strongly dislikes [category A], they may wish to restrict
firms or people in category A from using their software, because said
authors believe the use would be helpful to A's purposes and thus
damaging to humanity.  You can easily imagine various different authors
for whom A could be "companies which build weapons", "companies which
belong to the RIAA", "abortion clinics", "schools which teach evolution
and not creationism" [or vice versa], "walmart", "the American Nazy
Party", "the American Communist Party", and so on, and so forth.

Licenses excluding uses by some specific category may be legal
(depending on jurisdiction and exact definition of category) but they're
definitely not open-source, by definition of the latter.


Alex