From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Nicolai Hanssing To: gsl-discuss@sources.redhat.com Subject: GPL - long Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2001 13:20:00 -0000 Message-id: References: <007801c1088a$a4f34540$9bd526c0@kampsax.dtu.dk> X-SW-Source: 2001/msg00288.html > > Regarding the GPL, as was previously said, there is information in the > > new GPL FAQ linked off the front page at www.gnu.org. In particular > > you will want to look at the questions, > > > > "If a library is released under the GPL (not the LGPL), does that mean > that > > any program which uses it has to be under the GPL?" > > > > and > > > > "What if my school might want to make my program into its own > proprietary > > software pro OK, I've read up on the faq, and on the why-not-lgpl... I've normally haven't cared about the licenses, but as I'm probally not far off from a real job, the diferences between GPL ang LGPL begins to make a difference. Now heres my two cents about the issue [sorry if they hae been posted before]: I'm a great supporter of free software, primarily I think *"the more the better"*. I also do not mind commercial software - money makes the world go round y'know, and I also have a problem with the "Them vs. us"-style used in the why-not-lgpl-document. Free software is an alternative to commercial, and the other way around. I say, let the market decide. Now when licensing something under GPL, that forces any company to *not* use the software, but more importantly [from my view], it also forces them to *not* contribute to the development. Instead when using LGPL, a compyny may use the software, and may only distribute modified versions under LGPL, i.e. they have to commit the source, and that would also be an advantage for a company in many cases. Therefor GPL inhibits my primary goal of more,better, free software, and LGPL promotes it... GPL only makes sense if: You are *against* commercial software - I'm not. You are against your software being used to make money - it's free - who cares? In the case of my thesis, I sadly cannot recommend GSL to the firm, but must recommend that they go with some other pakage [Matlab or something]. Nor will I recommend GNU/Linux to any of there applications - theres just not enough clarity, and too much is licensed GPL... Neither can I expect that I in the future will be able to use GPL-projects at work, nor commit to them. I do hope that GSL someday will become LGPL, so that it won't just remain a .edu/.org thing - and not just leave the market to Mathworks and the likes. Thereby also broadening the potential developer-base. Anyhow I still think it's a cool project :-), and while working on my thesis I can still contributed - luckily. Regards Nicolai Hanssing Denmark