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The GPL, fundamentally, is about control and restrictions. It's about specifying things you cannot do with the code, ensuring that the original author's politic

by danudey 10y ago

The GPL, fundamentally, is about control and restrictions. It's about specifying things you cannot do with the code, ensuring that the original author's political and social goals are retained no matter what. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but where some people see freedom other people see restriction. If you release your code under the BSD license, no one can 'steal' it. That's a misrepresentation of reality. They're using it according to the license. If I release code under the BSD license and someone takes it, uses it in some closed-source router whose code or behaviour I can't fix or modify, then so be it. Likewise, your code is never 'monopolized' or 'disappeared'. Anyone else who wants to do something with that code is still able. Nothing is taken away from the rest of the world by one person using that code for their own purposes, whether you disagree with those purposes or not.

belorn 10y ago
The GPL, fundamentally, is about giving permission where copyright law would otherwise make illegal. It's about specifying things you can do with the code, ensuring that the original author can not sue over copyright when the copyrighted work is used within the scope of the license. Some people see freedom in this, while other people see restriction because they want more than what the license gives. If you release your code under the GPL license, no one is 'restricting' usage of the code. That's a misrepresentation of reality. The area outside the license, which include adding legal restrictions, are as if there were no license and is enforced solely by copyright. Anyone else who wants to do something with that code is still able. Nothing is taken away from the rest of the world by limiting what legal restrictions may be added to the software license, whether you want to add such restrictions or not.

by danudey 10y ago

belorn 10y ago

The GPL, fundamentally, is about giving permission where copyright law would otherwise make illegal. It's about specifying things you can do with the code, ensuring that the original author can not sue over copyright when the copyrighted work is used within the scope of the license. Some people see freedom in this, while other people see restriction because they want more than what the license gives. If you release your code under the GPL license, no one is 'restricting' usage of the code. That's a misrepresentation of reality. The area outside the license, which include adding legal restrictions, are as if there were no license and is enforced solely by copyright. Anyone else who wants to do something with that code is still able. Nothing is taken away from the rest of the world by limiting what legal restrictions may be added to the software license, whether you want to add such restrictions or not.