From: Daniel Carrera <dcarrera@...>
Date: 2003-07-09T11:14:06+09:00
Subject: Re: My brief and torrid affair with Ruby.

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On Wed, Jul 09, 2003 at 11:09:07AM +0900, Jim Cain wrote:
> Stephyn Butcher wrote:
> 
> >They don't call GPL a legal virus for nothing:
> 
> The problem with the term *virus* is that it implies malevolence. A 
> virus imposes itself on its victim without consent. That is not the 
> spirit of the GPL. The GPL is attached to something that is given away 
> freely. Likewise, anyone is free to use it, or to choose some other 
> solution.
> 
> If I decide to give you something for free, it is not unreasonable to 
> ask that you, if you decide to accept and use it, also make any derived 
> works available with the same freedoms from which you benefitted.
> 
> You are, of course, free to decline my offer. That is hardly a virus.

Exactly.  The GPL does not *impose* anything.  It sets a condition upon the use a 
pice of software.  You have two choices:  comply with the conditions, or don't use 
it.  There is nothing viral about that.

- -- 
Daniel Carrera         | OpenPGP fingerprint:
Graduate TA, Math Dept | 6643 8C8B 3522 66CB D16C D779 2FDD 7DAC 9AF7 7A88
UMD  (301) 405-5137    | http://www.math.umd.edu/~dcarrera/pgp.html
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