Subject: Re: ability to not to use gnome print under gnome build
From: Sam TH (sam@uchicago.edu)
Date: Thu Nov 30 2000 - 05:47:12 CST
On Thu, Nov 30, 2000 at 02:32:55PM +0400, Vlad Harchev wrote:
> > 1) gnome-print doesn't require copyright assignment, so if you
> > contributed to it, no one could license it under any other license
> > without your approval. So you don't have to worry.
>
> That's very nice. The problem is - if I just fix a pile of bugs, I can't hold
> copyright for bugfixes/fixed code. I have to write any module myself to claim
> copyright on it. That's a bad thing about bugfixing.
Well, the FSF standard is that copyright assignment is required for
more than about 10 lines of code. Beyond that, you have copyright to
the code you contribute, and people attempting to use it under a
different license would have to get you permission.
>
> > 2) There is ZERO possibility of GNOME doing anything like this. The
> > GNOME libraries that are GPL are that way so that proprietary code
> > can't use them, not to make money. If someone tried this, all of
> > GNOME would revolt.
>
> First, all members of gnome foundation can link to GPLed gnome libraries. The
> membership costs $10K/year currently. Granted, it's rather cheap currently..
First, this is untrue. If it were true, I would resign from the
foundation, and I suspect Dom and Martin and Joaquin would also, as
would important people like Havoc. Your ten grand buys you some
influence with the Foundation board. (And not too much, at that.) It
does not buy you any code.
> Second, one rather crucial gnome library is GPLed only in order to raise
> money. The library's author told me that privately. That's very disappointing,
> so I'm very careful about improving GPLed libraries now.
>
I'm sad if this is true, however I find it unlikely. Almost everyone
in the project is committed to free software.
For a better perspective on making libraries GPL, see the essay at
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/why-not-lgpl.html
sam th
sam@uchicago.edu
http://www.abisource.com/~sam/
GnuPG Key:
http://www.abisource.com/~sam/key
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