Re: License

[Gary Lawrence Murphy]

>>>>> "T" == Torge Szczepanek <address@hidden> writes:

    T> Paul Lemay wrote:
    >> I would be interested to use the CommonC++ library but, when I
    >> read the GPL license and the Q&A related to GPL, I am under the
    >> impression that my code will have to become license under
    >> GPL. Note that My code

    T> Yes that's right! This is known as "open source" software.

No, this is known as "free software" and is also widely seen as a ploy
either to force for-profit uses of the software into a dual-licensing
situation, or to force the software library into a fringe-use situation.

This probably explains why CommonC++ is not common ;)

Dual-licensing of CommonC++ is not possible because no one has secured
the copyright from _all_ contributors; this is one reason why the FSF
demands contributors assign copyright over to them (another is so they
can re-assign the work to others without consulting the original
author).

While GPL makes very good sense in some situations, for core
libraries, it is generally not such a great idea: GCC did _not_ see
widespread use until they relaxed this cascading free-license
situation on the core C libraries (circa 1988?) after which GCC became
_the_ compiler throughout the software industry.  

Yes, I wish the world was otherwise, but if wishes were golden,
beggars would ride: GPL makes very good sense for certain kinds of
libraries, for example, libraries that are used to create specialized
public infrastructure, but for core services such as sockets and those
other components offered in CommonC++, GPL just means we will only see
use in academic and public-service (I used it on projects for the CBC,
the Canadian version of PBS, but have not been permitted to use it
since)

Yes, industry _can_ use it for their own infrastructure software
(which, I wish they'd realize, is 75% of the code they write) but
because it cannot be used in their software products, it won't get the
consideration or the thorough QA it would get if it was LGPL; rather
than keep one set of libs for internal use and one for external use,
they want one consistent development environment and shy away from GPL
libraries.

-- 
Gary Lawrence Murphy <address@hidden> TeleDynamics Communications Inc
Business Innovations Through Open Source Systems: http://www.teledyn.com
"Computers are useless.  They can only give you answers."(Pablo Picasso)