Comments on: Is the BSD license more or less restrictive than the GPL? http://understandinglimited.com/2007/12/12/bsd-vs-gpl/ design & software freedom Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:19:18 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: therning.org/ magnus » Blog Archive » BSD or GPL? http://understandinglimited.com/2007/12/12/bsd-vs-gpl/comment-page-1/#comment-12029 therning.org/ magnus » Blog Archive » BSD or GPL? Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:07:30 +0000 http://understandinglimited.com/2007/12/12/bsd-vs-gpl/#comment-12029 <p>[...] Is the BSD license more or less restrictive than the GPL? [...]</p> […] Is the BSD license more or less restrictive than the GPL? […]

]]> By: David Crossland http://understandinglimited.com/2007/12/12/bsd-vs-gpl/comment-page-1/#comment-11065 David Crossland Thu, 13 Dec 2007 23:26:21 +0000 http://understandinglimited.com/2007/12/12/bsd-vs-gpl/#comment-11065 <p>HI Michael!</p> <p>You can spend your money to improve GPL code, and there is no requirement to reveal source code to your modifications. There is only a requirement to reveal source code to the users of your software; if you make modifications and keep them private, that's fine.</p> <p>To say all-permissive licenses "must work better, because all of the most successful communities are" using them, is like saying "Gods must exist because most people believe in at least one." Sadly, this is a fallacy.</p> <p>I'm glad to hear you contribute to some free software projects.</p> <p>I'm not sure what you mean about "the original GPL group" having an IPO.</p> <p>SugarCRM is a "business" company that promotes the GPLv3.</p> HI Michael!

You can spend your money to improve GPL code, and there is no requirement to reveal source code to your modifications. There is only a requirement to reveal source code to the users of your software; if you make modifications and keep them private, that’s fine.

To say all-permissive licenses “must work better, because all of the most successful communities are” using them, is like saying “Gods must exist because most people believe in at least one.” Sadly, this is a fallacy.

I’m glad to hear you contribute to some free software projects.

I’m not sure what you mean about “the original GPL group” having an IPO.

SugarCRM is a “business” company that promotes the GPLv3.

]]> By: MIchael Dean http://understandinglimited.com/2007/12/12/bsd-vs-gpl/comment-page-1/#comment-11064 MIchael Dean Thu, 13 Dec 2007 23:12:24 +0000 http://understandinglimited.com/2007/12/12/bsd-vs-gpl/#comment-11064 <p>I believe this post must be a disguised plug for Stallman's FSF. To say GPL is Free is a misnomer, because I can't spend my money to improve or modify the code, in the hope of getting a competitive advantage for my business, because I must reveal the source code on all my modifications. So any improvements I make COST ME BIG TIME! BSD software, on the other hand, especially that version incompatible with the GPL, I can improve and use for my competitive advantage, Like Juniper does with FreeBSD, and I don't have to release my improvements immediately to the so-called community, thus money I spend to improve my competitiveness is WELL SPENT. BSD must work better, because all of the most successful communities are BSD, like Apache, Postgresql, etc. And I actually contribute to OpenBSD and Postgresql because I believe in them. Its hard to believe in code from the original GPL programming group when they finally take their program private and commercial and possibly IPO after they get thousands of FREE improvements. For my business, the only GPL code I would use is any code I am not interested in modifying and improving.</p> I believe this post must be a disguised plug for Stallman’s FSF. To say GPL is Free is a misnomer, because I can’t spend my money to improve or modify the code, in the hope of getting a competitive advantage for my business, because I must reveal the source code on all my modifications. So any improvements I make COST ME BIG TIME! BSD software, on the other hand, especially that version incompatible with the GPL, I can improve and use for my competitive advantage, Like Juniper does with FreeBSD, and I don’t have to release my improvements immediately to the so-called community, thus money I spend to improve my competitiveness is WELL SPENT. BSD must work better, because all of the most successful communities are BSD, like Apache, Postgresql, etc. And I actually contribute to OpenBSD and Postgresql because I believe in them. Its hard to believe in code from the original GPL programming group when they finally take their program private and commercial and possibly IPO after they get thousands of FREE improvements. For my business, the only GPL code I would use is any code I am not interested in modifying and improving.

]]> By: Christopher J. Buckley | s/BSD+GPL/Software-Freedom http://understandinglimited.com/2007/12/12/bsd-vs-gpl/comment-page-1/#comment-11049 Christopher J. Buckley | s/BSD+GPL/Software-Freedom Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:18:02 +0000 http://understandinglimited.com/2007/12/12/bsd-vs-gpl/#comment-11049 <p>[...] has written an excellent article, which I hope people can take time to read and [...]</p> […] has written an excellent article, which I hope people can take time to read and […]

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