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Your definition of "freedom" is counterintuitive to me. Consider how many more end users would likely use and benefit from your software if BigCorp adopted it,
by baddox 11y ago
Your definition of "freedom" is counterintuitive to me. Consider how many more end users would likely use and benefit from your software if BigCorp adopted it, whether or not they had access to the source code.
- jackdaniel 11y agoI don't understand, what is counterintuitive in this definition. Freedom isn't the same as benefit, so I presume second sentence isn't an argument. If users happen to be developers, they might want to fix bugs, or remove annoying functionality - that's the freedom they have.
- baddox 11y agoI said "use and benefit." I could have left out the "and benefit." In what sense can a user be said to have freedom in regards to your software if the user can not even use the software?
- davexunit 11y agoBut if they don't have the source, they aren't in control of what the software does. Putting the user in control is freedom.
- mikegioia 11y agoThis makes 0 sense. If I'm reading this correctly, greater freedom to you means more people benefiting from something? How can you argue that?
- baddox 11y agoWell, think of the inverse. Imagine you never release your software at all, and not one ever gets to use it. In what sense is there "user freedom" in regards to your software?
- mikegioia 11y agoWe're talking about the difference between the GPL and say the BSD license, not necessarily choosing whether or not to release the software at all. Yea, in the latter that definitely limits user freedoms. But I think people who choose either of those licenses are already releasing their code. It's just that the BSD has a wider contributor base, as businesses could be more likely to contribute back. What I mean is, if the code is available then the quantity of people benefiting from it is separate from the idea of user freedom. User freedom, in the GPL sense, is freedom to read, copy, modify and redistribute the code and to do the same for anyone else's modifications to that code.
- Tyr42 11y agoA user gets to use and benefit != A user has freedom. It's not about maximizing short run happiness, but ensuring that the user is in control. This is important in the long run.