The FSF today released version 3 of the GNU GPL, the popular free software license. "Since we founded the free software movement, over 23 years ago, the free software community has developed thousands of useful programs that respect the user's freedom. The programs are in the GNU/Linux operating system, as well as personal computers, telephones, Internet servers, and more. Most of these programs use the GNU GPL to guarantee every user the freedom to run, study, adapt, improve, and redistribute the program," said Richard Stallman, founder and president of the FSF. This article has some interesting replies from the BSD community (right in the middle).
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2005-07-28
Don't like GPLv3? Don't use it and don't use software licensed with it. Problem solved.
Is not as easy as that, we often atack MS for imposing things with its Monopoly position, now we see the FSF imposing the GPLv3 with its GNU tools monopoly.
FSF must know that is not better that MS.
Member since:2006-06-21
Oh for God's sake. How are the two even remotely similar? If you don't like GLPv3 then pick up a copy of all the GNU stuff that went out under GPLv2 and fork them and keep them GPLv2. You will still be able to do a lot of stuff with them, including the 4 fundamental freedoms imagined by RMS, which is a hell lot more than you can do if you don't like the Microsoft EULA. Oh, don't like GPLv2 either? Well tough break, the people who originally wrote those programs did. It's the author's right to choose a license and you can take it or leave it.
Honestly, if you don't understand basic copyright issues and don't even realise what your rights and limitations are, why speak up?
Member since:2005-07-06
GNU tools monopoly?
Everyone can *rewrite* GNU tools with your preferred licence. You have full docs and source code. It's not like Windows, that is deliberately made poorly interoperable and has undocumented syscalls. You are completely free to write yourself a 100% GCC-compliant C compiler under a BSD license -provided it doesn't use significant chunks of GCC code, you can reuse the implementation. Also, *BSD folks would make a king of you.
If the GNU tools have a monopoly, it's because:
- they work
- they are free
Who bothers writing a replacement, when everyone can hack and improve them?
Member since:2006-11-26
Member since:
2005-07-06
Freedom isn't an absolute concept. There is no such thing as absolute freedom, because it would imply having the freedom to deny other people's freedom.
Don't like GPLv3? Don't use it and don't use software licensed with it. Problem solved.