We Don't Need the GPL Anymore

jpkunst writes "In a lengthy interview with Eric S. Raymond by Federico Biancuzzi at O'Reilly's onlamp.com, ESR defends his position that 'Open source would be succeeding faster if the GPL didn't make lots of people nervous about adopting it.'" From the article: "I don't think the GPL is the principal reason for Linux's success. Rather, I believe it's because in 1991 Linus was the first person to find the right social architecture for distributed software development. It wasn't possible much before then because it required cheap internet; and after Linux, most people who might otherwise have founded OS projects found that the minimum-energy route to what they wanted was to improve Linux. The GPL helped, but I think mainly as a sort of social signal rather than as a legal document with teeth."

Comments

GPL == Lifetime indentured servitude

[pcause]

What I hate about GPL is that is I use any of the code I am now working for the original author forever, Whatever I build belongs to that person as long as I started with that code, without limit. This is worse than most commercial deals, which usually have some limits or price you can pay / negotiate.

You have, of course, the choice of not using GPL code. I think FSF is disingenuous about the GPL and things under it being free for this reason. The Apache license makes software truly free. I can use it and do whatever I want and owe no one anything. Apache is true freedom. GPL is a social vision and a very "communist", in the true philosophical sense, vision of the world.

Re:ESR on drugs

[MoneyT]

Both are freeloaders. Dev 2 is a freeloader because he wants to use someone elses work with no compensation to Dev 1 (though to be fair, Dev 1 was stupid enough to release his code to the world)

Dev 1 is a freeloader because he's too lazy to do his own improvements and development with his code and wants access to everyone elses work just because he decided to be a nice guy and put his work ou tin public (though to be fair, Dev 2 did use his code)

In short they're both a bunch of freeloaders expecting other people to do work for them and for no compensation.

I'm not combative at all, just sick to death of hearing people who release their code bitch about people using their code.