Re: Recommendation for a CL data structures library

[David Kastrup]

Hyman Rosen <hyrosen@mail.com> writes:

> On 3/25/2010 9:44 AM, Raffael Cavallaro wrote:
>> It's ironic because the FSF is the creator of the GPL,
>> and even they recognized that the GPL was a poor fit
>> for libraries which is why they created the Library
>> (now Lesser) GPL.
>
> The FSF does not believe that the GPL is a poor fit for
> libraries. They believe that when there are good non-free
> alternatives to free libraries, they should use the LGPL
> for the free libraries so that users will have at least
> some freedom. When there are no good non-free versions
> available, they will use the GPL to maximize freedom for
> users.

More pragmatically: they want their licenses to be taken seriously.
That involves being able to go after violations in court and/or
settlements with good chances of success.  Licenses covering a work "as
a whole" are hard to press when the material they cover is functionally
a drop-in replacement of existing non-free libraries.  That makes "mere
aggregation" a really good defense.

-- 
David Kastrup