Actually, I do that too, for work I don't care enough about to want my name attached to. BSD has the virtue of explicitly getting me out of trouble if some idiot kills himself with my software. It also serves my vanity by requiring my name to stay attached.
If I'm going to give something away, I want to actually give it away. The GPL does not make your code "free" in any sense of the word. It turns your code into a virus, spreading a very specific idealogy. If you, as a software author, happen to subscribe to that idealogy -- terrific! The GPL is just the thing for you.
If don't happen to subscribe, avoid GPL. I don't happen to subscribe to the FSF idealogy, so I use a BSD-style license.
I happen to prefer "free" as in "no cost."
Actually, I prefer BSD-style licenses. They're considerably less restrictive than the GPL. I like to write code under BSD licenses, and I use BSD-licensed code by preference.
If you're doing anything other than dorking around for fun, like, say, trying to make a living writing new software, the GPL is a pain
in the ass.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually, I do that too, for work I don't care enough about to want my name attached to. BSD has the virtue of explicitly getting me out of trouble if some idiot kills himself with my software. It also serves my vanity by requiring my name to stay attached. If I'm going to give something away, I want to actually give it away. The GPL does not make your code "free" in any sense of the word. It turns your code into a virus, spreading a very specific idealogy. If you, as a software author, happen to subscribe to that idealogy -- terrific! The GPL is just the thing for you. If don't happen to subscribe, avoid GPL. I don't happen to subscribe to the FSF idealogy, so I use a BSD-style license. I happen to prefer "free" as in "no cost."
Actually, I prefer BSD-style licenses. They're considerably less restrictive than the GPL. I like to write code under BSD licenses, and I use BSD-licensed code by preference. If you're doing anything other than dorking around for fun, like, say, trying to make a living writing new software, the GPL is a pain in the ass.