gpl backlash?

[Csaba Szigetvari]

Wilfredo Sanchez wrote:

>  Now I'm the user, and I want to write some software which maybe  
>  uses a snippet of code from bash.  For example, maybe I want to use  
>  readline.

You could also write your own whiteroom implementation of readline. Why
aren't you considering this? The answer is easy: your time is too
precious to reinvent everything. And readline is implemented pretty well
already. But it has it's price (accepting the GPL) - if the price is too
much, then leave it. This is not philosophy, this is business. Every
business deal is aimed to make profit, and the GPL-type of profit is to
have more and more good code available under the GPL. Apple's
Darwin-type of profit is to have a lot of bug fixes and enhancements
that Apple can incorporate into it's own propriatary OS. In a certain
sense both serve the needs of their own users. Obviously it's not always
possible to close a deal and to make the intended profit. 

> Well, now I'm forced to GPL my work.
Don't forget, you still have the choice to rewrite readline (or
whatever) in a legally independant form. A finnish student already made
a good example on 'rewriting' 'something'. :)

Other than that, I think this thread has become a bit off-topic, though
(as always) it provides some interesting hints and infos about legal
issues.

---Csaba