3 ms·
> Remember that GPL is a product of the realities around the open source ecosystem when Bill Gates and Steve Balmer where CEOs on Microsoft. The irony being th
by ThrowawayR2 8y ago
> Remember that GPL is a product of the realities around the open source ecosystem when Bill Gates and Steve Balmer where CEOs on Microsoft.
The irony being that formerly FOSS companies are turning to dual licensing, "open core", and similar non-free strategies because it turned out that Gates & Ballmer, y'know, like, actually had a point: you need income in order to keep your business running.
And, by the way, you're wrong anyway: GPLv1 came out in '89 and GPLv2 came out in '91. Microsoft was a relatively minor player at that time; its meteoric rise to dominance didn't begin until a few years later.