Re: GPL V3 and Linux

[Harald Arnesen <harald@skogtun.org>]

"linux-os \(Dick Johnson\)" <linux-os@analogic.com> writes:

> The problem is that every rule and every law takes
> away rights. Laws do not give rights. Rules do not
> give rights. Amendments to existing laws sometimes
> prevent the restriction of rights (like the first 10
> amendments of the US Constitution), however there
> are no rules or laws that ever, anywhere, provided
> any rights whatsoever. Rules, regulations, and laws
> are all about restricting rights.

True. Without laws, everything would be chaos (some would say "anarchy",
but every anarchist I know have their own rules of conduct and customs).

It's a bit like when the laws of physics take away the universe's right
to to as it pleases (except that the Universe is pretty much the boss,
and if it does something not allowed by the laws, the laws will better
change).

> Sometimes the restrictions are necessary. For instance,
> except in very special circumstances, governments usually
> take away the inherent rights to kill, etc.

But on the other hand, the (sane) governments give me the right to avoid
being killed by a madman with a gun, because they control who is allowed
to own a gun.

> The initial writer was correct. The GPL was supposed
> to be all about freedom. Then, there are hundreds of
> words that have nothing to do with freedom. They
> establish rules. The crybaby says; "You will play
> by my rules or..." Rules restrict freedom.

And most other "open source" licences take away the programmers freedom
to *keep* derived works free for all to use.

> Perhaps these rules are necessary. However, for 20
> years before the Internet even existed, people were
> sharing source-code without rules. This was the
> principle behind the PROGRAM EXCHANGE and other
> obsolete BBS systems. At that time the ground-
> work of most all the file-compression routines,
> file-transmission routines, file-types, flight-
> simulators, etc., the stuff now claimed by others,
> was freely given away. Some expected their names
> to remain in the source, but eventually their
> names were changed to "Microsoft" or GPL. For
> example, Phil Katz. He invented "zip" and gunzip
> and all that stuff. He's now dead. His lifetime
> of work has been stolen by others and claimed
> as their own.
>
> The Internet gets established and somebody who's
> claim-to-fame was the development of the world's
> most complicated word-processor, establishes some
> legalese and a lot of well intentioned persons
> fall into his trap as he claims that he developed
> GNU/Linux as well. Wake up.

There (probably) wouldn't be a GNU/Linux without the man who developed
the worlds best word-processor (and the worlds best programming editor,
and the framework for the worlds best e-mail client).
-- 
Hilsen Harald.