"viral" (was RE: Licensing options for firmware)

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Scott Miller (scott at opentrac.org):

> I didn't mean to imply that it automatically 'infects' anything that comes
> near it.

What you _personally_ mean to imply is entirely beside the point:  The
term "viral" carries connotations of accidental contamination/infection
that are plainly false in this context.  Thus the suggestion to use
more-neutral terms (reciprocal, share-alike, perhaps others) that lack
that baggage.

That matter should be sufficiently clear, by now.  Not that I have any
problem with deliberately using distortive terminology:  Some of my best
friends are sophists.