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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!feed1.news.erols.com!news-xfer.netaxs.com!ddsw1!news.mcs.net!ddsw1!not-for-mail From: les@MCS.COM (Leslie Mikesell) Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.setup,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.misc,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy,comp.os.os2.advocacy Subject: Re: Linux vs whatever Date: 27 Jan 1997 21:24:17 -0600 Organization: /usr/lib/news/organi[sz]ation Lines: 37 Message-ID: <5cjrh1$gcv$1@Venus.mcs.net> References: <32DFFEAB.7704@usa.net> <m23evrulla.fsf@desk.crynwr.com> <32EA25AB.41C67EA6@freebsd.org> <5qC7y0gTzDLB091yn@ibm.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: venus.mcs.com Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.misc:154569 comp.os.linux.networking:66340 comp.os.linux.setup:94166 comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc:5753 comp.unix.bsd.misc:2051 comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy:51137 comp.os.os2.advocacy:263818 In article <5qC7y0gTzDLB091yn@ibm.net>, Mouth of the South <mouth@ibm.net> wrote: >In article <32EA25AB.41C67EA6@freebsd.org>, >"John S. Dyson" <dyson@freebsd.org> wrote: > > >FreeBSD is a fully integrated tool and OS, with runtime that can > >be put into embedded product without redistribution encumberances > >In other words, any greedy corporation can take the BSD source code, >add a few features to make a derived work, and sell their derived work >without revealing their source code, right? Yes, but they can't be too greedy about it since anyone else is free to do the same and undercut their price. Unless, of course they have added something seriously valuable and difficult to duplicate - in other words, worth the money. Either way, the consumers come out ahead and the free software writers still have to opportunity to match it. >Stallman had the right idea with the GPL, prohibiting restrictions on the >distribution of source code for derivative works. Linux under the GPL is >like fusion energy, self sustaining with no harmful waste. Since nobody >can create a derivative work from Linux and hide the source code, every >useful work derived from Linux adds value to it. Actually you are explicitly allowed to add modules for Linux without releasing source, although I don't know if anyone has done this yet. >BSD, on the other hand, is like fission where it becomes divided and loses >energy every time some greedy bozo tries to hide the source code for their >derivative work. On the contrary, I suspect that a very large part of the networking industry exists because of the free and unencumbered BSD base code. Les Mikesell les@mcs.com