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www/philosophy gpl-american-way.html
|
From: |
Yavor Doganov |
|
Subject: |
www/philosophy gpl-american-way.html |
|
Date: |
Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:24:20 +0000 |
CVSROOT: /web/www
Module name: www
Changes by: Yavor Doganov <yavor> 07/04/20 22:24:20
Modified files:
philosophy : gpl-american-way.html
Log message:
* Moved the closing </div> to contents.
* Typographical fixes consisting of *dquo and mdash.
* Fixed translations list and added Portuguese.
CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/gpl-american-way.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.17&r2=1.18
Patches:
Index: gpl-american-way.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/philosophy/gpl-american-way.html,v
retrieving revision 1.17
retrieving revision 1.18
diff -u -b -r1.17 -r1.18
--- gpl-american-way.html 6 Apr 2007 18:26:38 -0000 1.17
+++ gpl-american-way.html 20 Apr 2007 22:24:14 -0000 1.18
@@ -6,18 +6,16 @@
<h2>The GNU GPL and the American Way</h2>
-<div id="rms-image"></div>
-
<p>
by <strong>Richard M. Stallman</strong>
</p>
<p>
Microsoft describes the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) as an
-"open source" license, and says it is against the American Way. To
-understand the GNU GPL, and recognize how it embodies the American
-Way, you must first be aware that the GPL was not designed for open
-source.</p>
+“open source” license, and says it is against the American
+Way. To understand the GNU GPL, and recognize how it embodies the
+American Way, you must first be aware that the GPL was not designed
+for open source.</p>
<p>
The Open Source Movement, which was launched in 1998, aims to develop
powerful, reliable software and improved technology, by inviting the
@@ -32,27 +30,28 @@
cooperation. This is what leads to free enterprise, to free speech,
and to free software.</p>
<p>
-As in "free enterprise" and "free speech", the "free" in "free
-software" refers to freedom, not price; specifically, it means that
-you have the freedom to study, change, and redistribute the software
-you use. These freedoms permit citizens to help themselves and help
-each other, and thus participate in a community. This contrasts with
-the more common proprietary software, which keeps users helpless and
-divided: the inner workings are secret, and you are prohibited from
-sharing the program with your neighbor. Powerful, reliable software
-and improved technology are useful byproducts of freedom, but the
-freedom to have a community is important in its own right.</p>
+As in “free enterprise” and “free speech”, the
+“free” in “free software” refers to freedom,
+not price; specifically, it means that you have the freedom to study,
+change, and redistribute the software you use. These freedoms permit
+citizens to help themselves and help each other, and thus participate
+in a community. This contrasts with the more common proprietary
+software, which keeps users helpless and divided: the inner workings
+are secret, and you are prohibited from sharing the program with your
+neighbor. Powerful, reliable software and improved technology are
+useful byproducts of freedom, but the freedom to have a community is
+important in its own right.</p>
<p>
We could not establish a community of freedom in the land of
proprietary software where each program had its lord. We had to build
-a new land in cyberspace--the free software GNU operating system,
+a new land in cyberspace—the free software GNU operating system,
which we started writing in 1984. In 1991, when GNU was almost
finished, the kernel Linux written by Linus Torvalds filled the last
gap; soon the free GNU/Linux system was available. Today millions of
users use GNU/Linux and enjoy the benefits of freedom and community.</p>
<p>
I designed the GNU GPL to uphold and defend the freedoms that define
-free software--to use the words of 1776, it establishes them as
+free software—to use the words of 1776, it establishes them as
inalienable rights for programs released under the GPL. It ensures
that you have the freedom to study, change, and redistribute the
program, by saying that nobody is authorized to take these freedoms
@@ -74,43 +73,43 @@
basis. But some companies want the advantages without the
responsibilities.</p>
<p>
-From time to time, companies have said to us, "We would make an
+From time to time, companies have said to us, “We would make an
improved version of this program if you allow us to release it without
-freedom." We say, "No thanks--your improvements might be useful if
-they were free, but if we can't use them in freedom, they are no good
-at all." Then they appeal to our egos, saying that our code will have
-"more users" inside their proprietary programs. We respond that we
-value our community's freedom more than an irrelevant form of
-popularity.</p>
+freedom.” We say, “No thanks—your improvements might
+be useful if they were free, but if we can't use them in freedom, they
+are no good at all.” Then they appeal to our egos, saying that
+our code will have “more users” inside their proprietary
+programs. We respond that we value our community's freedom more than
+an irrelevant form of popularity.</p>
<p>
Microsoft surely would like to have the benefit of our code without
the responsibilities. But it has another, more specific purpose in
attacking the GNU GPL. Microsoft is known generally for imitation
rather than innovation. When Microsoft does something new, its
-purpose is strategic--not to improve computing for its users, but to
-close off alternatives for them.</p>
+purpose is strategic—not to improve computing for its users, but
+to close off alternatives for them.</p>
<p>
-Microsoft uses an anticompetitive strategy called "embrace and
-extend". This means they start with the technology others are using,
-add a minor wrinkle which is secret so that nobody else can imitate
-it, then use that secret wrinkle so that only Microsoft software can
-communicate with other Microsoft software. In some cases, this makes
-it hard for you to use a non-Microsoft program when others you work
-with use a Microsoft program. In other cases, this makes it hard for
-you to use a non-Microsoft program for job A if you use a Microsoft
-program for job B. Either way, "embrace and extend" magnifies the
-effect of Microsoft's market power.</p>
-<p>
-No license can stop Microsoft from practicing "embrace and extend" if
-they are determined to do so at all costs. If they write their own
-program from scratch, and use none of our code, the license on our
-code does not affect them. But a total rewrite is costly and hard,
-and even Microsoft can't do it all the time. Hence their campaign to
-persuade us to abandon the license that protects our community, the
-license that won't let them say, "What's yours is mine, and what's
-mine is mine." They want us to let them take whatever they want,
-without ever giving anything back. They want us to abandon our
-defenses.</p>
+Microsoft uses an anticompetitive strategy called “embrace and
+extend”. This means they start with the technology others are
+using, add a minor wrinkle which is secret so that nobody else can
+imitate it, then use that secret wrinkle so that only Microsoft
+software can communicate with other Microsoft software. In some
+cases, this makes it hard for you to use a non-Microsoft program when
+others you work with use a Microsoft program. In other cases, this
+makes it hard for you to use a non-Microsoft program for job A if you
+use a Microsoft program for job B. Either way, “embrace and
+extend” magnifies the effect of Microsoft's market power.</p>
+<p>
+No license can stop Microsoft from practicing “embrace and
+extend” if they are determined to do so at all costs. If they
+write their own program from scratch, and use none of our code, the
+license on our code does not affect them. But a total rewrite is
+costly and hard, and even Microsoft can't do it all the time. Hence
+their campaign to persuade us to abandon the license that protects our
+community, the license that won't let them say, “What's yours is
+mine, and what's mine is mine.” They want us to let them take
+whatever they want, without ever giving anything back. They want us
+to abandon our defenses.</p>
<p>
But defenselessness is not the American Way. In the land of the brave
and the free, we defend our freedom with the GNU GPL.</p>
@@ -118,61 +117,64 @@
<h4>Addendum:</h4>
<p>
-Microsoft says that the GPL is against "intellectual
-property rights." I have no opinion on "intellectual property
-rights," because the term is too broad to have a sensible opinion
-about. It is a catch-all, covering copyrights, patents, trademarks,
-and other disparate areas of law; areas so different, in the laws and
-in their effects, that any statement about all of them at once is
-surely simplistic. To think intelligently about copyrights, patents
-or trademarks, you must think about them separately. The first step
-is declining to lump them together as "intellectual property".</p>
+Microsoft says that the GPL is against “intellectual property
+rights.” I have no opinion on “intellectual property
+rights,” because the term is too broad to have a sensible
+opinion about. It is a catch-all, covering copyrights, patents,
+trademarks, and other disparate areas of law; areas so different, in
+the laws and in their effects, that any statement about all of them at
+once is surely simplistic. To think intelligently about copyrights,
+patents or trademarks, you must think about them separately. The
+first step is declining to lump them together as “intellectual
+property”.</p>
<p>
My views about copyright take an hour to expound, but one general
principle applies: it cannot justify denying the public important
-freedoms. As Abraham Lincoln put it, "Whenever there is a conflict
-between human rights and property rights, human rights must prevail."
-Property rights are meant to advance human well-being, not as an
-excuse to disregard it.</p>
+freedoms. As Abraham Lincoln put it, “Whenever there is a
+conflict between human rights and property rights, human rights must
+prevail.” Property rights are meant to advance human well-being,
+not as an excuse to disregard it.</p>
+
+</div>
<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
<div id="footer">
- <p>
- Please send FSF & GNU inquiries to
- <a href="mailto:address@hidden";><em>address@hidden</em></a>.
- There are also <a href="http://www.fsf.org/about/contact.html";>other ways
to contact</a>
- the FSF.
- <br />
- Please send broken links and other corrections (or suggestions) to
- <a href="mailto:address@hidden";><em>address@hidden</em></a>.
- </p>
-
- <p>
- Please see the
- <a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
- README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting
- translations of this article.
- </p>
-
- <p>
- Copyright © 2001 Richard M. Stallman
- <br />
- Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is
- permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is
- preserved.
- </p>
-
- <p>
- Updated:
- <!-- timestamp start -->
- $Date: 2007/04/06 18:26:38 $
- <!-- timestamp end -->
- </p>
+<p>
+Please send FSF & GNU inquiries to
+<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><em>address@hidden</em></a>.
+There are also <a href="/contact">other ways to contact</a>
+the FSF.
+<br />
+Please send broken links and other corrections (or suggestions) to
+<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><em>address@hidden</em></a>.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Please see the
+<a href="/server/standards/README.translations">Translations
+README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting
+translations of this article.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Copyright © 2001 Richard M. Stallman
+<br />
+Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is
+permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is
+preserved.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Updated:
+<!-- timestamp start -->
+$Date: 2007/04/20 22:24:14 $
+<!-- timestamp end -->
+</p>
</div>
<div id="translations">
- <h4>Translations of this page</h4>
+<h4>Translations of this page</h4>
<!-- Please keep this list alphabetical, and in the original -->
<!-- language if possible, otherwise default to English -->
@@ -187,18 +189,26 @@
<!-- Please also check you have the 2 letter language code right versus -->
<!-- http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/IG/ert/iso639.htm -->
- <ul class="translations-list">
- <li><a href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.ca.html">Català</a></li>
- <li><a href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.html">English</a></li>
- <li><a href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.es.html">Español</a></li>
- <li><a href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.fr.html">Français</a></li>
- <li><a href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.it.html">Italiano</a></li>
- <li><a href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.nl.html">Nederlands</a></li>
- <li><a href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.pl.html">Polski</a></li>
- </ul>
+<ul class="translations-list">
+<!-- Catalan -->
+<li><a
href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.ca.html">Català</a> [ca]</li>
+<!-- English -->
+<li><a href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.html">English</a> [en]</li>
+<!-- Spanish -->
+<li><a
href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.es.html">Español</a> [es]</li>
+<!-- French -->
+<li><a
href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.fr.html">Français</a> [fr]</li>
+<!-- Italian -->
+<li><a href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.it.html">Italiano</a> [it]</li>
+<!-- Dutch -->
+<li><a
href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.nl.html">Nederlands</a> [nl]</li>
+<!-- Polish -->
+<li><a href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.pl.html">Polski</a> [pl]</li>
+<!-- Portuguese -->
+<li><a
href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.pt.html">Português</a> [pt]</li>
+</ul>
</div>
</div>
-</div>
</body>
</html>