> The last thing I could imagine the Free Software Foundation wanting is a demonstration that it is impossible to construct proprietary software that runs on Li

> The last thing I could imagine the Free Software Foundation wanting is a demonstration that it is impossible to construct proprietary software that runs on Linux. Not yet, maybe. Since he started his movement, Richard Stallman made it absolutely clear that he considers proprietary software to be evil in a literal sense of the word. He repeatably said it "should not exists" [1]. Recall that when Richard Stallman introduced the GPL for GNU, there was no LGPL. It was introduced later. Here's the announcement from the GNU bulletin [2]: "We should by now have finished a new alternative General Public License for certain GNU libraries. This license permits linking the libraries into proprietary executables under certain conditions. The new library license actually represents a strategic retreat. We would prefer to insist as much as possible that programs based on GNU software must themselves be free." Note also that any GNU system (and therefore Linux) is based on the GCC, distributed under the GPL. It's not just a compiler but also provides a runtime library that most programs need to link to when compiled by GCC. To make this possible, it has a special exception to the GPL. However, since the copyright is completely owned by the FSF, the exception can be revoked, anytime -- making it impossible to compile proprietary software with GCC (unless a fork proves to be viable). In other words, the FSF has the means and the motive to make proprietary software impossible to run under Linux. All they lack right now, is the political power -- that is, the opportunity to do so. [1] http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/031411-richard-stallman.html?page=3 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/031411-richard-stallma... [2] http://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bull10.html#SEC6 http://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bull10.html#SEC6