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This omits another IP-related issue of at least equal significance. KDE is based on the Qt UI toolkit library, which had an encumbered license at the time the
by rst 4y ago
This omits another IP-related issue of at least equal significance. KDE is based on the Qt UI toolkit library, which had an encumbered license at the time the GNOME project got started (1997) -- and the first free software license it was released under, the QPL, was not GPL-compatible. This was resolved in 2000 (with a GPLed release of Qt), but by then, GNOME had its own momentum.
- toyg 4y agoWe are talking about the era when GNOME 3 / KDE 4 / Unity were born, which was around 2007. By then, the QPL issue had long been resolved and nobody cared anymore.
- rst 4y agoTitle on the piece is "Why GNOME happened". The reason why GNOME happened is QPL, not legal threats from elsewhere years later.
- toyg 4y agoYeah but the piece actually moves on from GNOME 2. The title is as confused as the author, or maybe intentionally deceiving. I agree that QPL was why the original GNOME started.