GPL v3

Wilson, Andrew andrew.wilson at intel.com
Wed Jan 25 22:01:07 UTC 2006


 

John Cowan wrote:
 
> It wouldn't have much practical impact for a long time, since
> the overwhelming bulk of all GPLed software would be under a "v2 or
v3"
> license, small amounts (like the Linux kernel) under a "v2 only"
license,
> and essentially nothing under a "v3 only" license.

Au contraire, my guess is that soon after there is a final GPL v3, the
bulk of FSF/GNU code will be relicensed v3-only (and this is a lot of
code).
Remember, they can do this far more easily than many other projects,
since FSF requires assignment of copyright.

On the original topic: if GPL v3 does violate the OSD by discriminating
against a class of applications, e.g. DRMs, RMS might consider this
a bug, or he might consider it a feature.  It is certainly possible
he would like to see a sharper distinction between "free software"
and "open source" rather than consolidation.

Andy Wilson
Intel Open Source Technology Center



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