Linked by Hadrien Grasland on Sat 8th Jan 2011 19:28 UTC, submitted by sjvn
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Member since:
2007-02-17
If I write BSD-licensed software and link it against GPL-licensed software, I have to redistribute it under the GPL license according to the FSF. The MPL or CDDL do not have this issue as long as I keep the code apart in separate files. Although they are friendlier licenses, I still prefer BSD/MIT licenses since they are closer to altruistic sharing than the others. If I shared something with somebody, I would not view it as nice to require anything back in return.
If I wrote code that I wanted everyone to share, I would not view it as nice if someone took a copy of my code and refused to share it. This can happen to my code if I license it as BSD/MIT. The GPL simply adds a stipulation beyond BSD/MIT that in effect says: "I shared this with you, you may use it however you like but if you give it to others you must share it with them just as I have shared it with you".
Sorry, but I simply can't agree with any argument that wishes to characterise that position as unreasonable in any way or failing somehow as not being "altruistic sharing".
As for your comments re linking:
LGPL is absolutely safe, as it specifically allows linking (even static linking). Most libraries are LGPL, not GPL.
Despite what the FSF say, copyright law itself allows dynamic linking ... if a later work does not actually INCLUDE any major elements of earlier works, then it does not infringe copyright law.
See:
http://www.osnews.com/permalink?456652
Edited 2011-01-10 06:28 UTC