From: Brian Candler <B.Candler@...>
Date: 2003-07-10T19:09:41+09:00
Subject: Re: OT: GPL - was Re: My brief and torrid affair with Ruby.

On Thu, Jul 10, 2003 at 03:58:11PM +0900, Robert Feldt wrote:
> And I'm trying to understand in detail why you don't like the GPL. It
> seems you don't like it because of its "philosophical baggage" and
> not because you want to allow commercial entities to use your code
> in their closed apps.

From my point of view, I don't like the GPL simply because it is more
restrictive that other licences. For free software, the fewer legal burdens
which are placed on me (the user), or which I (the writer) place on my
users, the more comfortable I am.

If you're trying to make a living out of selling software, that's a
different matter. Dual-licencing seems to be the solution there: if you want
to use my work for free, then your own derived work has to be tainted with
the same conditions. If you don't want that - because you want to make money
out of our combined work - then buy a licence. That way, we both receive
compensation for the commercial application of our work.

Sleepycat's licence for BDB is a good example.

Regards,

Brian.