Re: [tlug] Bill Gates and the GPL , let the flames begin

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

Curt Sampson writes:

 > Folks who use the GPL are on the side of, "we'd like to control
 > what you can do with your own original source code that you write."

Be careful here.  The GPL is the exact equivalent in legal language of
"you play nicely with *my* ball, or I'm going to take *my* ball and go
home".  It's not very grownup, but it doesn't necessarily imply an
attempt to control what others do.

Given that this arises from a pragmatic stance that "sharing is fun"
and a philosophical stance that the creator deserves no reward for the
creation, I think copyleft advocates need a "fsck -y" of the wetware.
And rms is definitely a control freak of the psychotic sort.

But there are plenty of copyleft advocates who (nonetheless) take a
sort of conscientious objector stance: they just refuse to play with
those who won't play by their rules.  It's an exercise of freedom of
association for them, not an attempt to control others.