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>His opinion wasn’t necessary, but since he wrote the license, it is authoritative. No it isn't. Licences, like most legal documents, are construed objectivel
by memefrog 3y ago
>His opinion wasn’t necessary, but since he wrote the license, it is authoritative.
No it isn't. Licences, like most legal documents, are construed objectively. The subjective intention of the author is totally irrelevant to the meaning.
- dahart 3y agoYou might have misunderstood what I said. It’s not up for debate whether RMS’s opinions or intent on the GPL have affected industry practice; that’s a fact of history. His statements on the GPL are authoritative in the sense that they may have prevented the courts from examining this question.
- memefrog 3y ago"Authoritative" has a particular meaning. You might have intended to say "influential". You didn't. I can only reply based on what you said.
- dahart 3y agoWhat meaning are you thinking of, exactly? I looked up the definition and it matches what I intended to say in every dictionary I checked (Merriam Webster, Oxford, Cambridge, Dictionary.com…) Some of the definitions seem more or less synonymous with “influential”, maybe you’re making some incorrect assumptions?