The GPL Impedes Linux More Than It Helps?

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday October 4, 2005 @04:59AM from the cutting-into-fun-time dept.

Anonymous Coward writes "Linux ought to be even more successful than it is. On ZDNet, Paul Murphy ponders the reasons why. For one thing: The GPL impedes Linux more than it helps. Licensing issues, coupled with patent and copyright FUD, have caused developers and VCs to think twice before committing to Linux. Murphy also suspects that desktop Linux is stuck on stupid." From the post: "Basically, legal issues, or the threat of legal issues, caused some key applications developers to back off Linux while the general negativism of Linux marketing caused many of the individuals whose innovations should have been driving Linux adoption to hang fire until MacOS X and Solaris for x86 under the CDDL came along."

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Re:linus on GPL by Hope+Thelps · 2005-10-04 05:17 · Score: 5, Informative

i dont think linus is to keen about the GPL, he never actively promotes it.

Yes, saying things like "Making Linux GPL'd was definitely the best thing I ever did." is almost hostile.

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To summarise the summary of the summary: people are a problem. ~ h2g2
Re:True to an extent... by Entrope · 2005-10-04 05:18 · Score: 5, Informative

The GPL protects other users freedoms at the expense of any one individual's ability to use a piece of code completely freely.
That's absolutely wrong. The GPL allows you to modify and to use GPLed code in any way you please. What the GPL does not give you is the right to give the GPLed code to someone else without giving that person the same rights you got.