On 9/5/2017 10:19 PM, Joakim via Digitalmars-d wrote:
I'll also note that if a developer uses GPL software on the server, he doesn't have to give any source to users who access apps on the server remotely. For example, Google uses a linux kernel with proprietary modifications on a million servers running their search engine, yet my understanding is that they have not made most of those modifications available, as they're not required to under the GPL. By contrast, every Android vendor has to release the source for their linux kernel. It's not a coincidence that GPL software took off on the sever, until and except for Android's kernel.
Your understanding is somewhat flawed. Google is a major contributor to the linux kernel as well as quite a few other projects. They are extraordinary members of the open source community and the internet at large. They have one of the most proactive security teams out there as another example.
Please, do a little research. While there's a lot to dislike about google and their public facing services, they offset that quite a bit in my eyes through how their engineering staff behaves.