GPL vs BSD Licence

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brett Glass [mailto:brett at lariat.org]
> Sent: Monday, November 01, 2004 7:41 AM
> To: jsd at jdyson.com; Miguel Mendez
> Cc: TM4525 at aol.com; chat at freebsd.org; Ted Mittelstaedt
> Subject: Re: GPL vs BSD Licence
> 
> 
> At 08:32 AM 11/1/2004, jsd at jdyson.com wrote:
> 
> >I don't believe that it is useless to keep the awareness of the
> >licnese differences alive.
> 
> It is not at all useless; in fact, it is very important. If the
> differences are not pointed out, then the GPL and its malicious
> anti-programmer, anti-business agenda wins by default.

Only because of how the GPL people act, Brett.

It is (at least, to me) a given that whether or not the BSD people
speak up or remain silent on this issue, that the pro-GPL people
are going to continue banging away on the GPL drums.

I would agree to stop pointing out the differences if the GPL folks
stopped telling everyone at every chance they get that GPL=Free Software.
However, they continue to do this whether or not the BSD people
spend time pointing out the differences.  They do this when we
aren't focusing on the differences and they do this when we are.
It is like a big machine that continually day and night beats a 
55 gallon steel drum, on and on and on without stopping.

That is why if we give it up, that they are going to win by default.
It is because they never, ever, shut up.

> If someone
> preaches that licensing differences are meaningless, then he is
> either unintentionally or intentionally pushing Stallman's agenda,

Absolutely.  Stallman's agenda is to replace all software licenses, 
including the BSD copyright, with GPL.  Arguing that the differences
is not significant is just a prelude to the argument that "well as
long as they are meaningless, why don't you just go ahead and use
GPL, it's better"

Ted