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> With the GPL, you are not free to "distribute your modified version as you wish." Yes you are. Unless you opt of that freedom by creating non-free software.
by mike-cardwell 10y ago
> With the GPL, you are not free to "distribute your modified version as you wish."
Yes you are. Unless you opt of that freedom by creating non-free software. Supporters of the GPL are are not concerned with the self created problems of creators of non-free software.
- dragandj 10y agoSo, excluding the "as you wish" part. You are not free to distribute it as you wish, but as the GPL directs you. (I support both GPL and BSD style OSS, and I am usually pro-Stallman, but the OP really has a good point here)
- AnimalMuppet 10y agoYes, the OP (lr) does have a point. But so does mike-cardwell. Think in terms of generations. Generation 1 (G1) writes the original software, and makes it available under either the GPL or BSD license. G2 receives it, modifies it, and passes it on to G3. Now, under the GPL, G3 receives G1's and G2's software with all the rights intended by G1's author. That's a restriction on G2, but it's a freedom to G3 (and also a restriction, if G3 is going to modify it for G4). Under the BSD, G3 gets G1's code with all the rights given by the author, and possibly gets G2's code with no rights at all. That's a freedom to G2, but a restriction to G3. Which is "right", or even just better? I don't know. But I think it's important to notice that in both cases, freedom is being both given and taken away, just from different people.
- catdog 10y agoIt depends onto what "as you wish" is applied here. You may >>distribute<< it to whom you wish, when you wish and under the conditions you wish. What you can not do as you wish is to dictate further restrictions to the receiver after the distribution process is over.