[License-discuss] Shortest copyleft licence

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Tzeng, Nigel H. (Nigel.Tzeng at jhuapl.edu):

> I dislike the presumption that the use of GPL implies support for the FSF
> viewpoint.  A perspective that the FSF fosters as evidence of how much
> they dominate the FOSS world as opposed to say BSD/Apache.
> 
> Yes, WE all know this is not true.

I find that assumption vexing enough that, at one point, I proposed to
do a lecture on 'Proven Ways to Use GPLv2 as the Core of a Proprietary
Software Business Model'.  (I don't know for sure what the backlash
would have been.)

But anyway, yes.  I tend to stress, somewhat less provocatively, that
the only actual meaning of any legal instrument lies in what it _does_,
and that the views and intentions of the instrument's author are
irrelevant to the matter at hand -- rather like if I drop a heavy book
about Jainism on your foot.  ;->