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From: Peter Mutsaers <plm@xs4all.nl>
Subject: Re: Linux vs whatever
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Date: Tue, 28 Jan 1997 18:18:54 GMT
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>> On Mon, 27 Jan 1997 16:32:10 -0800, "John S. Dyson"
>> <dyson@indy.celebration.net> said:
JSD> When improvements are made to or technology is added to GPLed
JSD> software in order to gain some competitive advantage, those
JSD> changes become encumbered by the GPLs redistribution
JSD> requirements. It is possible that those changes are a
JSD> considerable body of work in themselves. Even though the
JSD> original GPLed work continues to be available in it's
JSD> entirety, it is considered to be "hoarding" by many GPL
JSD> advocates if the source code of that new, added body of work
JSD> would not redistributed. GPL encumbers the new source code
JSD> (or IP) by forcing it's redistribution if the object code is
JSD> distributed.
In theory GPL is bad in commercial circumstances, where distributing
source code may be a problem.
In practice however I don't see the problem. The fact that Linux can
use GPL'd code makes that sometimes it can develop faster. All in all
Linux is used much more in commercial settings, although FreeBSD is
clearly better.
The boycott of GPL means a slowdown of development which seems far
more damaging to commercial use.
Also in commercial settings GPL'd code is used quite a lot. I know of
many commercial packages (such as several expensive real-time kernels,
OSI stack software, etc. etc.) that use gcc, gdb etc. Also GNU stuff
is used a lot in commercial environments. I've worked for 4 companies
and in all of them GNU products (including Linux at 2 sites) were used
extensively.
Also commercial products begin to appear for Linux more and more. Not
much for FreeBSD. Are there any real and important examples of use of
*BSD stuff in commercial environments or applications that are
possible because it is not under the GPL?
This eternal anti GPL discussion appears to me to have only
theoretical value, which is damaging to FreeBSD's progress (take the
ISDN part as an example, resulting in many that went with Linux in the
Netherlands because of lack of support for ISDN under FreeBSD).
--
Peter Mutsaers | Abcoude (Utrecht), | Trust is a good quality
plm@xs4all.nl | the Netherlands | for other people to have