Re: [avr-chat] µC/avr crypto lib

[Rick Altherr]

On Jul 24, 2008, at 2:54 PM, Bob Blick wrote:

> On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:08:44 -0600, "Weddington, Eric"
> <address@hidden> said:
>
> > However I see a small problem. According to your wiki, you're using  
> > the
> > GPLv3 license. Most embedded developers will stay away from the GPL
> > license unless there is an exception to allow linking to  
> > proprietary code
> > without the proprietary code becoming GPL. See, for example, the  
> > license
> > used for libgcc in the GCC project. AVR-LibC is licensed under the
> > modified BSD license, which is a very liberal license and allows  
> > the user
> > to do anything with the code. This allows users to use the AVR GCC
> > toolchain, including the libraries, in commercial products.
>
> I think that is just one point of view. Part of the spirit of GPL is  
> to
> further public development. That is why code I release to the public  
> is
> released under GPL. I want improvements to it done by others available
> to the public.
>
> If I wanted to use this crypto lib in a closed commercial product I
> could contact the developer and try to arrange commercial licensing.
>
> BSD and LGPL licenses have their place. They are tilted towards
> commercial products full of closed code. Public development is
> dead-ended.

Be sure to tell that to the FreeBSD community.  BSD and LGPL do not  
stifle contributions in any way.  GPL is just forcing people's hand to  
its own detriment.  In many cases, a business will extend a BSD- 
licensed library and contribute the changes back since their product  
isn't the library but the product using that library.  On the other  
hand, a GPL'd library can't be used in a commercial software product  
at all, so those businesses will never contribute back since they  
can't use the license to begin with.

> If you look at who contributes and who benefits, GPL provides  
> continuity
> for education and community development.
>
> Cheerful regards,
>
> Bob
>
> --
> http://www.fastmail.fm - I mean, what is it about a decent email  
> service?
>
>
>
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--
Rick Altherr
address@hidden

"He said he hadn't had a byte in three days. I had a short, so I split  
it with him."
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