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

["SL Baur" <steve@example.com>]

On 4/26/08, Attila Kinali <attila@example.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:56:16 -0700
>  "SL Baur" <steve@example.com> wrote:
(I didn't write the following)
>  > > I have pretty much decided that code that I create on my own will be
>  > > licensed under the BSD license or similar.  Perhaps dual licensing.
>  >
>  > Yeah.  I feel kind of lost right now.  GPL v2 is cool, BSD is cool, GPL v3 seems
>  > more driven out of spite than anything else.
>
>
> I usualy decide on the basis whether i care whether
>  some company uses the code without being forced
>  to give something back:
>
>  Yes, i care: GPLv2 (w/o update clause)
>  No, i don't care: BSD (2 or 3 clause)
>
>  Anything else just leads to the problems you mentioned.

That's somewhat short sighted, though I am biased towards wanting mods
returned to the community.

The GPL has been good to me.  I have been working in a Fortune 50 company
for over a year now and when you search on my name in the internal internet
search engine, my name has a huge number of hits for work I've done under
the GPL from before I started work there.

I have no doubt that that had anything other than a positive influence in how
management views me.  I am now in the unique position of being known to
very high level management and also being deployed to rehost critical internal
apps on Linux.

Point:  I'm the only person in my group who uses Linux on the desktop, etc.   At
first, my boss wanted me to do stuff on Microsoft WIndows XP like the rest.  I
held out on that as long as I could and the two Microsoft Windows machines
assigned to me now run Linux and I have the boss's full blessing.

Point:  I've always done this sort of thing.  I have no interest in
pursuing riches.
I want to support my family, make sure there's bread on the table, beer in the
fridge, etc.  It's doable.

I'm every bit as much of as an opinionated asshole as RMS, we just use
different methods to achieve our goals.  I like working within organizations
under their own rules and fixing things.

Can you see how from my point of view, anything that gets your name widely
spread whether it be GPL licensed, or BSD licensed cannot be anything but a
good thing either for yourself or those who benefit from your software?

We're in a hybrid world, software development-wise and we'll always be.  There
are certain systems that cannot be open sourced and will always need skilled
persons to do.  Always.[1]  Where you draw the line is what will make or break
everything.  O/S design has been firmly established to be better on the side of
open standards, Open Source and that has been the case for a long time now.

I predict that within a decade, this statement will be regarded as highly as
previous statements from Gates regarding the future.  That is to say, it will
be laughed at.

[1] Well, at least in my lifetime.