The question that remains is basically "what is your stance on the Great IP war?" I agree that the world would be better if all software was public domain and

The question that remains is basically "what is your stance on the Great IP war?" I agree that the world would be better if all software was public domain and that the GPL is an inferior option. In a world where proprietary software is the norm though, GPL is a way to fight back this trend. I think GPL makes a lot of sense on software that make computers easier to use or that have privacy implications: browsers for instance. Some other times, you just want to help the whole world, including the software industry, stop reinventing the wheel. Typically with a lib that solves a specific problem once and for all. There public domain or MIT/BSD make sense.