Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-pcd!hplsla!jima From: jima@hplsla.HP.COM ( Jim Adcock) Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards Subject: Re: Open Software Foundation Message-ID: <5910002@hplsla.HP.COM> Date: 31 May 88 19:59:01 GMT References: <14976@brl-adm.ARPA> Organization: HP Lake Stevens, WA Lines: 38 | Unfortunately, a recent | note in the info-gnu mailing list suggests that OSF have no intention | of producing a Public Domain version of Unix. At least present day FSF licenses all contain restrictions that make FSF software very difficult to use in commercial environments. For example, if I were to develop commercial software on a Gnu Un*x work-alike system, using Gnu C, Gnu C libraries, etc, then the commercial software that I wrote would contain embedded copies of code derived from Gnu libraries, which appears to me to make the commercial software subject to Gnu software licensing restrictions. Which could potentially prove catastrophic to the commercial company making this mistake. So it is unclear to me how many people would be able to use the Gnu public domain version of software, unless they are willing to buy into Stallman's ethics of software development and distribution, and are willing to work in a environment very different than today's traditional commercial environment. I'm not saying this would be good or bad -- its just that Stallman's licensing agreements don't seem to me to correspond to the traditional concept of "public domain" software, and I hope everyone is aware of the difference. If not, please read the Gnu Manisfesto, and the Gnu licensing agreements. I like Gnu products, I am just sorry that I am unable to use them "on the job." And you cannot expect corporations to make many donations to help develop "products" they cannot use, nor to support someone who openly opposes the standard, legal, every day software development ethics as practiced in most "software" companies today. Again, I'm not saying "right" or "wrong", I'm just saying "reality". Mine own opinions only.