Clarification of GPL

[Mahesh T. Pai]

Ben Reser said on Mon, Dec 15, 2003 at 10:27:35PM -0800,:

 > He may be hired by a  commercial software firm who pays him a large
 > sum of money  to turn the application closed source  and work on it

Ah, well. You are right. Bu the loss is not for ever.

But, other persons can always take the code which is already available
under the GPL, and work on it.

The   original  authors'  subsequent   modifications  are   no  longer
available though.

Ditto about the fears about GPL 3 going the GFDL way.

If  existing software  under the  present  GPL is  relicensed under  a
(unjustifiably feared non free) new GPL, users can continue to use the
code base available under the older (present version) -- remember, the
GPL vests the  option to use a  later version of the GPL  in the user;
not the copyright holder.

That is the safety of the GPL.
 
-- 
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+
                                          
  Mahesh T. Pai, LL.M.,                   
  'NANDINI', S. R. M. Road,               
  Ernakulam, Cochin-682018,               
  Kerala, India.                          
                                          
  http://in.geocities.com/paivakil         
                                          
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