License Committee Report for September 2009

[Giancarlo Niccolai]

Wilson, Andrew wrote:
> G. Niccolai wrote:
>
>   
>> As a very final notice, let me re-state that I don't really understand
>> the anti-license-proliferation crusade.
>>     
>
> License proliferation is bad because it takes what should be a global
> commons of free/open source software and artificially divides it
> into silos of incompatibly licensed code.
>
> License proliferation is a pain in the tail because of
> combinatorial explosion and the overhead of assuring compliance
> with the quirks of each license or combination of licenses.
>
>   
I totally agree that license proliferation is BAD. One license per 
product wouldn't help OS world at all.

My point is NOT that license proliferation is not bad. If there are two 
licenses basically doing the same things, they should be made one.

My point is that EXCEPTION proliferation is WORSE. And also, leaving 
some needs currently uncovered still uncovered for the sole reason of 
not to increase the number of certified exception is WORSE.

But this thread is probably not the right place to argue about this: it 
has nothing to do with the topic.

Bests,
Giancarlo Niccolai.