[LINK] Fwd: Microsoft learns some tricks from Open Source Software

[Craig Sanders]

On Mon, Sep 19, 2005 at 01:31:05PM +1000, Howard Lowndes wrote:
> Craig Sanders wrote:
> > personally, i prefer the GPL because of that....but the BSD license
> > is still a fairly good license. and, unlike Howard, i don't have any
> > particular problem with those who do take BSD-licensed software and
> > make it proprietary - that is explicitly allowed by the authors.
> > that is why they chose the BSD license over the GPL.
>
> I sometimes wonder whether the authors, in the early days, were
> naively unaware of the implications of the BSD licence in its ability
> to lock their donated work into proprietary software.

some may have been, but most weren't.  they were well aware of what the BSD
licence made possible and deliberately chose it because of that.  and
there's nothing wrong with that - it's their work, they can give it away if
they want to, under whatever (legal) terms they like.

really....they see it as an advantage that their work can be used by
anyone, even in proprietary software. GPL advocates obviously disagree
and only want their work to be used in other free software projects.

both are reasonable opinions for software authors to hold.

craig

-- 
craig sanders <cas at taz.net.au>           (part time cyborg)