On Thu, Jan 10, 2008 at 12:11:46AM -0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > You can stop the GPL propaganda here. We have wasted enough time > > rehashing it. You are not going to convince anybody here that some > > random person has more rights than the author of the software. The end, > > get over it, walk it off. > > I'm not out to convince anyone that anyone has any more rights than anyone > else. What I *was* doing was bringing that particular portion of the > conversation back to more than just baseless bashing of a particular > license.
It isn't baseless you are simply blind to it because you are convinced that the GPL is the best thing evah! The GPL essentially strips the author of his/her rights. So here you are slaving away writing some code that you give away and then on top of that you have to forfeit your labor in favor of users. I hate to tell you this but that is the wrong way around. If enough people realize this they will either stop giving code away or switch licenses. The only beneficiaries of such a license are large corporations. The newer the GPL version the better in fact. Now you can give away code without giving it away. You can essentially prevent other companies to use it (TiVo clause) and some more rights to be given up on the patent clauses. We can debate the merit of the people vs companies here but it was either an unforeseen circumstance or a clever business trick. I put my money on the unforeseen one. If I was to start a company that had some software I'd buy the open source crowd by making my code GPLv3 and yet keep all my patents and code safe; put real IP in hardware and sell sell sell. This is not what the RMS/FSF tells you do. They say things like it's free! you are doing society a favor! non-gpl code is evil and unethical etc. These slogans are nothing but cover ups for the growing empire that is the FSF (yes lots of people forfeit their rights to them not knowing what they are giving up and no benefit to boot). > > > RMS tried with circle talk to convince people and lost many acolytes in > > the process. GNU & FSF are disingenuous organizations that are and > > unable to read a dictionary. That makes people angry so stop parroting > > their manure here. > > Yes, there has been quite a bit of manure slung by *both* sides. I prefer > to stay out of that particular gutter. I personally don't care what anyone > thinks of RMS, GNU *or* FSF. I'm an ardent supporter of none of the above. That is not how I see this. One side came to slander (not the first time either) and the other side kept correcting the slanderer. There might have been some strong words going back and forth but only one side was wrong. Lets call it self-defense. > > > A few more cronies also tried and failed at convincing anyone of the > > GPL teachings. Yes we get your point and we think it is stupid. No > > need to discuss it or try to explain it again. We get it. > > They're not my teachings or teachings to which I particularly subscribe. I > would maintain that most of the "more popular" licenses have their pros - > ultimately it depends on who or what you want to protect. Popular does not mean good. VHS anyone? As I said before the GPL is sold on false premises and unfortunately a lot of people stop thinking by the time they hear "free as in beer", "can't be closed", "unethical code" etc. These slogans are not true and are used to sell something that is of no benefit to the author. Roughly the same way that communism was sold to the people. That is where the FSF stands today. They outlived their usefulness and really should have closed shop but instead they reinvented themselves with new goals. This also happens in the business world. For example, In the past unions created some real benefit for workers and today are shills for someone in power. Let me quote my man Franklin: Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. Where the GPL is temporary safety in trade of Essential Liberty. > > Don't paint me with the RMS/GNU brush because I refused to stand by and > watch *blatantly* false accusations be made. There is a big difference > between correcting those accusations and *supporting* the recipient of the > accusations. Then don't stand by them by not replying to this. By adding to this thread you picked a side like it or not. > > kmw
