Open-source Licensing: BSD or GPL?

BSDForums.org writes "Mark Brewer of Covalent Technologies argues BSD is better for the enterprise. As open source licensing models, both the Berkeley Software Distribution license and the General Public License have advantages and disadvantages. But in the end, the BSD offers more benefits to enterprise customers. Matt Asay of Novell makes the case for GPL. He says, no one open source license is ideal in every circumstance. Different licenses serve different ends. Berkeley Software Distribution-style licenses have been used to govern the development of exceptional open source projects such as Apache. Clearly, BSD has its strengths. However, all things being equal, he prefers the General Public License (GPL ). The GPL is one of the most exciting, innovative capitalist tools ever created. The GPL breaks down walls between vendors and customers while enabling strong competitive differentiation. Which is a better licensing model for open-source applications: BSD or GPL? What do you think?"

Comments

GPL....

[PeterPumpkin]

The GNU General Public License, the African General Public License, or the European General Public License?

The GPL helps Microsoft

[stevedekorte]

Software complexity grows over time such that the only way to compete is to build on existing software.

If the base is GPLed then you *effectively* can't sell it. This is wonderful for big companies because it means that our only options as developers is to work for them.

If the base uses a BSD license, the little guys are able to use it and can compete on a level playing field with the behemoths like Microsoft.

Let's free ourselves from the domination of the software giants by using the BSD license and generate a new wave of MSVs (micro software vendors) that will wipe out the Microsofts, IBMs, Adobes and Apples of the world.

I like BSD

[el_womble]

BSD makes sense to me - much less work all round. You write the code you want to, that does the job you want it to do and you do the best job you can given your resources. Then you set it free. If it comes back to you better than it left; your happy. If grows elsewhere and changes the world; your happy. If it goes nowhere, and just continues to work for you; your happy. If someone figures out a way to make money from it and doesn't give you any, shame on them, but thats OK too, your just pleased that someone has taken your hobby project and given it the time and resources it needed to turn into a commercial project.

It doesn't matter how great my code is, I know I'm standing on the shoulders of giants. I didn't design the chips, the OS, the compiler, the language and most of the design patterns and data structures will have been used in other applications before mine, I just arranged them in a pattern that was unique to my application. Do I deserve to get paid for my work? Only if I market it and the BSD licence doesn't stop me from doing that. Do I want to spend the rest of my life hiring lawyers chasing people who should know better, no - I just want to code. Do I want to spend the rest of my life concidering code patches for an application I'm no longer interested in, no - I'm probably thinking of the next big thing. Do I want to be the next Bill Gates, hell no. I'm not saying the guy isn't happy, but to be honest my life is complicated enough without all that power and responsibility. I may not be rich, but I don't have whole websites devouted to hating me either (yet). To be honest I think that people getting mega rich off the back of software alone is an event of the past. If your going to get rich making software, your going to need to be selling whatever it is that your software makes easier to produce.

I understand that most of that applies to the GPL as well, but how your software free if your forcing an ideology on to people? Thats just not my way, not that its a bad way. At the end of the day, your contribution to your code is tiny, if you didn't write it somebody else will. If your writing something genuinely uselful, let everybody else use it. Remember the guy that invented the wheel, the hammer, the horse bit? Me neither, but I'm grateful everyday and so is the rest of the world - surely thats worth more than ego.

GPL is not General public licence

[schwal]

You insensitive clod! GLP stands for GNU Public Licence GNU stands for GNU's not unix and just ask RMS if you dont belive me.