Ron Johnson <ron.l.johnson@cox.net> writes:
> Why do people keep on mentioning "theft" in the same sentence as the
> BSDL, when it specifically *allows* companies to take the code and
> turn it into a close-source product.
I don't know.
Just as you know what you're getting into when you license code using
the GPL or modify GPLed code, you know the terms when you license your
code with the BSD. You shouldn't be surprised when people use the
software in any way your terms allow.
If people really feel that uncompensated proprietary use of code they
put under the BSD license is “theft”, then they made the wrong choice
when the licensed their code.
If people complain about proprietary use of BSD code in general, then
they're just whiners. The authors made their choice and no one has the
right to second guess them.
(For the record: I appreciate the generosity of people who license
their code under a BSD-like license. Still, I want to ensure that, on
the off chance someone finds my code useful, they understand I expect
them to contribute back any changes they make. That's why I choose the
GPL for my own code. If that makes people less likely to use my code,
that is their problem, not mine.)
Mark.
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Received on 12/16/08
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