Even though people can argue about what software is better to work with, I can see a benefit in having multiple programs that do the same thing. In the case of using AbiWord vs. OpenOffice as a word processor, AbiWord would be great to use as your default viewer for word processor files in your web browser since it is quite a bit smaller and will launch very quickly. On the other hand, if you end up needing to do some hardcore editing and prefer OpenOffice, you can take the extra couple of seconds to launch OpenOffice if it is necessary. There is value in having a choice!
Re:Maybe not legal, but what about PR?
on
Abusing the GPL?
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· Score: 1
Although I wouldn't personally promote doing this... I can think of a possible advantage from abusing the GPL in this fashion:
The poster didn't state what the project was, or why or how much the project was lucrative. The project doesn't necessarily have to be some mainstream application that we'd all expect to see advertised for our desktops. The program could be some niche app whose users don't know nor care about the redistribution provided in the GPL. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the source code distribution requirement only kicks in for those you distribute the binary to... So for example if the end-user of your "customer" is simply some clueless admin who installs it on their server, then chances are the company in question might not even have to worry about anyone actually looking at their source code.
The advantage is... they get lots of code for free, plus the actual chances of having a PR disaster is nil.
Does anyone else find this amusing (I certainly did):
The states' call for an open-source version of Internet Explorer would destroy "any incentive for Microsoft to invest in the creation of such new versions," Microsoft said.
Come on... how many people would miss not having an Internet Explorer 7.0?
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Even though people can argue about what software is better to work with, I can see a benefit in having multiple programs that do the same thing. In the case of using AbiWord vs. OpenOffice as a word processor, AbiWord would be great to use as your default viewer for word processor files in your web browser since it is quite a bit smaller and will launch very quickly. On the other hand, if you end up needing to do some hardcore editing and prefer OpenOffice, you can take the extra couple of seconds to launch OpenOffice if it is necessary. There is value in having a choice!
Although I wouldn't personally promote doing this... I can think of a possible advantage from abusing the GPL in this fashion:
The poster didn't state what the project was, or why or how much the project was lucrative. The project doesn't necessarily have to be some mainstream application that we'd all expect to see advertised for our desktops. The program could be some niche app whose users don't know nor care about the redistribution provided in the GPL. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the source code distribution requirement only kicks in for those you distribute the binary to... So for example if the end-user of your "customer" is simply some clueless admin who installs it on their server, then chances are the company in question might not even have to worry about anyone actually looking at their source code.
The advantage is... they get lots of code for free, plus the actual chances of having a PR disaster is nil.
Does anyone else find this amusing (I certainly did):
The states' call for an open-source version of Internet Explorer would destroy "any incentive for Microsoft to invest in the creation of such new versions," Microsoft said.
Come on... how many people would miss not having an Internet Explorer 7.0?