Question about a specific license

[James Michael DuPont]

--- John Cowan <cowan at mercury.ccil.org> wrote:
> James Michael DuPont scripsit:
> 
> > Sorry, I dont mean to do that exactly, it the question of my
> > contribution back. Do I have to put my changes under the same
> license,
> > or can I make them GPLed?
> 
> You can do either, or indeed you can keep them proprietary (though
> not
> then mix them with GPLed code in your application).  

Well, I am coming from another perspective :

I want to be able to extend a BSD-Like licensed code into a better,
more functional and GPLed module, where It cannot be "Hit and Run" (or
was that "Embraced and Extend") by corporations with no scruples.

For work done on my free time, I see no need to give away my code to
highly paid corporations. If they want my work, they can pay me.

>That's the point
> of
> the BSD: maximal freedom for programmers (not necessarily for users).
> 
> Tactically speaking, it may be better to use the BSD so that other
> people can build on your versions with the same freedom, as many 
> people who use the BSD are quite ideological about it (same with the
GPL).  

I understand that.


> See
> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/x.html for a note on why the FSF
> doesn't
> insist on GPLing code it contributes to X Windows -- it would fork
> the
> code base, and that is worse than generating non-copyleft code in
> this case.

Ok, but for some code, it may be better to do this. On a case by base
basis.


> 
> > It really comes down to the question of where one software starts
> and
> > another ends. If I make a Gpled module that overrides existing
> > functions or have hooks into existing functions, can they be only
> > provided under the GPL?
> 
> The FSF says yes, most others say no.  IANAL, TINLA.

OK, well i am tending towards the GPL view.

> 
> > It would be possible to re-sell a non-free software the does the
> same,
> > but the sources are generally not included, so no-one would be the
> > wiser. 
> 
> People do get caught, it seems, and generally the threat of lawsuit
> suffices.  See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/enforcing-gpl.html
> for an insider view of this.

I have been involved myself in reporting a couple of License
violations, 
and know about that process. :)

thanks,

mike


=====
James Michael DuPont
http://introspector.sourceforge.net/

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