Don Rosenberg's review in LWM (Vol. 3, issue 4) of Larry Rosen's book, Open
Source Licensing, did double-duty as a platform for FUD about the GNU GPL.
The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL for short) was not the first free
software license, but was the first to embody the concept of "copyleft": the
requirement that all modified and extended versions of the program be free
under the same license. The GPL was designed to use copyright law to defend
to the utmost all users' freedom to copy and change software; since copyright
law says one must get permission to use a work, either in derivative works or
combined works, the GPL requirements apply to both cases. Any change in a
program can be made by changing its existing modules, or by adding a new one;
the choice is arbitrary. Therefore, an effective copyleft license must cover
both ways of structuring the changes. The... (more)
(LinuxWorld) -- Since Joe Barr's article criticized my dealings with
SIGLINUX, I would like to set the record straight about what actually
occurred, and state my reasons.
When SIGLINUX invited me to speak, it was a "Linux User Group"; that is, a
group for users of the GNU/Linux system which calls the whole system "Linux".
So I replied politely that if they'd like someone from the GNU Project to
give a speech for them, they ought to treat the GNU Project right, and call
the system "GNU/Linux". The system is a variant of GNU, and the GNU Project
is its principal developer, so soci... (more)
[Dee-Ann LeBlanc mused recently here at LinuxWorld.com on the vexed question
of whether in the Linux community we are letting politics have too much sway
over and above the technology. Here are Richard Stallman's thoughts on that
same issue, just received...far from sharing this worry, on the contrary he
is concerned that a narrow focus on technological developments "might
distract our best activists from doing their best work..." ]
"Dear editors of LinuxWorld,
When I read Ms LeBlanc's surprised reaction to the idea that "Linux" is about
politics - initially negative, followed by... (more)
Last year IBM took a significant step forward in cooperation with the free
software community by offering blanket licenses for 500 of its patents to all
free software developers. This does not cover all of IBM's software patents,
which must number in the thousands. And there are other areas where IBM does
not yet cooperate with the free software community -- they have not provided
the necessary information to port a free BIOS to ThinkPads, for instance, and
they are still pursuing Treacherous Computing. Nonetheless, this is a real
step.
Recently Sun made an announcement that supe... (more)
Headnote
As of December 2006, Sun is in the middle of rereleasing its Java platform
under the GNU GPL. When this license change is completed, we expect that Java
will no longer be a trap. Nonetheless, the general issue described here will
remain important, because any non-free library or programming platform can
cause a similar problem. We must learn a lesson from the history of Java, so
we can avoid other traps in the future.
Please also see: The Javascript Trap
• • •
If your program is free software, it is basically ethical - but there is a
trap you must be on guard for. ... (more)