Re: [ba-unrev-talk] Fle3 1.3.0 - CSCL software
What I say here is just liable to bring a response from the creator of the
GPL license; it has in the past and I don't see why it won't again. (01)
The problem (NOTE: the use of the word *problem* requires some
qualification: a subjective connotation is placed on its use: that there is
a *problem* at all is purely one based on personal belief systems involved
-- religious, though they may be, at times), with the use of GPL is that it
is known to be a viral license. Emphasis on the word viral. GPL infects,
by design, any software that comes into contact with it. NOTE: the word
*contact* is one that is wide open to interpretations; for the time being,
it seems fine running Apache or BSD licensed products on GNU Linux (GPL),
probably because the word *contact* is not really appropriate in that instance. (02)
Were I or any other OHS-developer wannabe to build add-on features that
*connect* to Fle3, and here, the word *connect* gets pretty tricky, then
our code *must* be GPL-licensed as well. As I said earlier, we, that is,
the group of us who are OHS-developer wannabes, under the direction of
Douglas Engelbart himself, have agreed to abide by BSD-like (read:
non-viral) licenses. (03)
Why switch to LGPL? Because it is non-viral. (04)
Now, I think that I haven't said any of the magic words here that would or
should provoke a response by GPL's creator, so let me say a few now. The
design of the GPL license, according to my own interpretations of the
historical writings about it, came from some very legitimate reactions to
software licensing policies. It is my opinion that the motivations were
real and the GPL license was/is an honest effort to deal with those
policies. It is my opinion that the LGPL license is as good a solution as
you can get, but, if I'm not mistaken, it came after the GPL. You will
sometimes see LGPL referred to as Lesser GPL, and sometimes referred to as
Library GPL. Either way, it has most of the "teeth" of the GPL, but none
of the viral nature. (05)
By downloading LGPL software, I am less concerned that anything I learn
from that code or products that I build which complement that code, will
come under the watchful eye of those who champion and defend the GPL
license. I simply don't want to go there; the views of other OHS-developer
wannabes may vary, but I suspect that, on average, that explanation covers
the big picture. (06)
I have observed two rather large camps, both equally secure in their belief
structures: those who do GPL, and those who do not GPL. Along the way, I
have written to some GPL users and asked them why they did so. Some reply,
and rightfully so, that GPL satisfies their needs. Others, and this is
where things get interesting, have replied with words like "Wow! I just
read GPL. I'm switching to LGPL". When I queried some of those individuals
after the switch, the response to "why did you use GPL in the first place?"
was words like: "well, that's what everyone else is using." (07)
Would that other religious "wars" could be so simple... (08)
Cheers
Jack (09)
At 11:26 PM 9/9/2002 +0300, you wrote:
>Dear Jack Park,
>
>Jack Park wrote:
>> From the perspective of a passionate open source (but not Free
>> Software) hacker, unfortunately, I will not be able to download Fle3 and
>> play with it, and, I suspect, many of the other OHS-developer wannabes
>> on this list won't either. Nothing in the OHS plan calls for
>> GPL-licensed software; the OHS license has been based on Apache for some
>> time now, and there has been a bit of discussion about looking at the
>> Apple Public Source License as a new license model.
>
>Could you, please, clarify why the OHS-developers can not use Open Source
>(and Free) Software released under the GNU General Public Licence (GPL)?
>
>>Of course, if the UIAH Media Lab were to change to the LGPL license...
>
>Let us know why we should used LGPL instead of GPL.
>
>Best regards,
>
> - Teemu Leinonen
>____________________________
>Teemu Leinonen
>http://www.uiah.fi/~tleinone/
>Office: + 358 9 756 30 296
>GSM: +358 50 351 6796
>Media Lab, UIAH Helsinki
>http://www.mlab.uiah.fi
>Future Learning Environment 3
>http://fle3.uiah.fi (010)
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