Re: [tlug] Yes! Another argument about the GPL! You knew you wanted it....

[Lars Kotthoff <lists@example.com>]

> That may not be what you had in mind, but what's what you're doing,
> regardless. Basically, you're looking at good effects that might come
> out of using the GPL on a piece of software, and ignoring the bad
> effects that may also happen.

And you're doing exactly the same thing for a more permissible license.

> Perhaps this is the key problem; you think of it as the company
> benefiting, and stop there. But if the company is successful doing what
> they do, and it's not due to their lobbyists getting the government
> to give them a legislated monopoly or whatever, then that means that
> consumers have decided that they're happier if they give that company
> their money and receive the product in exchange than if they don't. That
> means that the consumers are the real ones benefiting here; the company
> also benefiting is just a side effect.

It's also possible though that the company benefiting is the main effect of them
selling crap software that happens to be "industry standard" or something like
that.

Lars