Re: GNU licenses

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   >    Boy oh boy we love to pick on semantics! I should have said
   >    the "evil motive" _behind_ the GPL.
   >
   > There is no evil motive behind the GNU GPL.  It keeps users like
   > you, me and John free to run, use, modify and distribute
   > programs.  It keeps users free to do what they have a right to
   > do.  That is the sole purpose of the GNU GPL, and the Free
   > Software movement: to allow users to control their own machines,
   > and help their friends.

   Oh, and that's why it requires the combined work to become GPL.
   Because we cannot force people to make all their source code
   available, it is done by having a license that says you can use the
   free program components in your program provided that you also make
   that entire program free & GPL not just those parts, therefore
   increasing the amount of free code. I think I see it a little
   better: the belief is people have some sort of intrinsic right to
   modify software and see how it works, etc. like how one has such a
   right to modify and see how their car works. Therefore, the
   agreement that is made when one uses GPL code in their work is to
   grant the users the same right that said programmer enjoyed, which
   helped them with their work, therefore ensuring the users that
   "intrinsic right". Right?

Something like that.