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GPL 3.0 Rewrite Drive Is No Democracy

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the ratification-would-be-a-real-bitch dept.

linumax writes "Users will be free to comment on the upcoming complex and technical draft versions of the GNU General Public License 3.0 in an easy way, according to Eben Moglen, general counsel for the Free Software Foundation. However, Moglen said Wednesday, speaking at the Open Source Business Conference here, the rewrite of the GPL is not an election and there will be no voting on its clauses. In a session entitled GPL 3.0: Directions, Implications, Casualties, Moglen said that when GPL 2.0 was promulgated some 14 years ago, very few people cared about it. On the advice of a few dozen people and a couple of lawyers, it was written and released. "That was a fine system then. It is not a fine system now. I expect the process around GPL 3.0, when it begins in some 60 to 90 days' time, to collect a great deal of comment from people on the draft documents... ", He said."

9 of 386 comments (clear)

  1. Why would it be a democracy? by winkydink · · Score: 5, Funny

    Everybody knows those GNU people are a bunch of Commies. :)

    --

    "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey

    1. Re:Why would it be a democracy? by Sam+Haine+'95 · · Score: 3, Funny
      Tell me more about your communist democracy. Let's say that I am a snow cone maker. It costs me about 10 cents in syrup, ice, and equipment depreciation. I decide to charge 25 cents for a snow cone. Is that OK in your communist democracy? Is that pricing and production level completely my choice as a free individual?
      Good luck selling your snow cones in Siberia, comrade.
    2. Re:Why would it be a democracy? by WhiplashII · · Score: 2, Funny

      No; in a truely democratic communistic society, we would vote to decide the price. Everyone but you would vote that it should be free. Then we would take your snowcones, and you would try to get out of the country before the next vote (where we take whatever you have left)!

      --
      while (sig==sig) sig=!sig;
  2. Wait wait wait... by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 5, Funny

    does that mean that the GPL is *NOT* open source? (you can see but you can't touch)?

    But... I thought... GPL... open... *HEAD EXPLODES*

  3. Rewrite Drive by foQ · · Score: 5, Funny

    When I saw this article I thought there was some new GPLed DVD R/W drive or something.

  4. YEP, I DID JUST THAT by YEP,+I+DID+JUST+THAT · · Score: 1, Funny

    You created an account just for that comment?

    YEP, I DID JUST THAT

  5. Re:LOL IT'S SOCIALISM by Frodo+Crockett · · Score: 2, Funny

    ou created an account just for that comment? I really think you need to get a life.

    This is the future of Slashdot. Really, how many comments here are truly original? One man with a few dozen such accounts could replace 90% of posts on Slashdot!

    --
    "The newly born animals are then whisked off for a quick run through a giant baking oven." --heard on Food Network
  6. Actually, Siberians love ice cream, even in winter by bcatanzaro · · Score: 3, Funny

    I lived for 2 years in Siberia and often bought ice cream from street vendors when it was below freezing. It makes life easier for the street vendors - they don't have to plug in their portable ice chests... =)

  7. So the two groups actually worked together? by lightspawn · · Score: 4, Funny

    On the advice of a few dozen people and a couple of lawyers, it was written and released.

    Wow, both people and lawyers...