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Re: LGPL vs. GPL


From: David Kastrup
Subject: Re: LGPL vs. GPL
Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:53:41 +0200
User-agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.0.60 (gnu/linux)

JohnF <john@please.see.sig.for.email.com> writes:

> On Fri, 1 Aug 2008, Ciaran O'Riordan <ciaran@fsfe.org> wrote:
>> JohnF <john@please.see.sig.for.email.com> writes:
>> > > One thing that's for sure is that he'll have to distribute
>> > > MimeTex's source with the binary (or an offer to send people
>> > > the source on request).
>> > 
>> > I'd thought a link to its homepage (where the source can be
>> > downloaded) satisfies that requirement.
>> 
>> Yes, I think so too.
>> 
>> > The free-of-charge version of his program helps society
>> > (assuming it's useful in the first place)
>> 
>> In the short term, in technical ways, maybe, but it will also compete
>> against truly free applictions that are trying to do the same thing.
>
> Hadn't thought of that.  But, on second thought now, I'd say,
> "let the best program win."  If the commercial application is
> truly better, maybe its superior functional specifications will
> inspire an open source "knock off."  If that doesn't happen,
> then the superior commercial application has every ethical right
> to dominate the market if users are willing to pay the price
> (dollar price as well as closed source price).

If people thought like you, child labor and slavery would be the
dominant ways of producing goods even now.  You not only mandate to let
the market decide about good or bad, but you also request that one
should not talk about morals or responsibility.

The market will always decide against morality when left to its own
devices.  90% of the buyers are apathetic to the origin of their goods.
You have to raise awareness to a level that regulation sets in,
regulation that actually overrides that what most people would do on
their own.

Changing perception is an important first step for change to happen.  It
is not tantamount to changing behavior, but behavior does not change all
on its own.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum


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