Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 13:26:24 -0800 (PST)
From: Andre Hedrick <andre@linux-ide.org>
To: David Schwartz <davids@webmaster.com>
cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: GPL and Nvidia
In-Reply-To: <20030102204808.AAA9757@shell.webmaster.com@whenever>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.10.10301021315170.421-100000@master.linux-ide.org>
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On Thu, 2 Jan 2003, David Schwartz wrote:

> 
> On Thu, 2 Jan 2003 12:21:59 -0500 (EST), Gerhard Mack wrote:
> 
> >There are strong reasons why GPL is a good thing and I prefer it to BSD.
> >IMO GPL makes it easier to add code to a common base without risking
> >someone taking the code and adding code+theircode and releasing a
> >proprietary competing project what's always 3 steps ahead of the open
> >source version.  For all the complaints it gets the GPL does what it's
> >designed to do and that's  a good thing.
> 
> 	I don't understand why making proprietary software better and cheaper than 
> it would otherwise be is a bad thing.
> 
> 	It will be better because it will have a stronger base to build on. It will 
> be cheaper both because it will be easier to construct and because it will 
> have to compete with free software that is more similar to it.
> 
> 	And, believe it or not, free software benefits as much from competition as 
> proprietary software does.
> 
> 	DS

AH!  A man of reason here!

It would be nice if "LI" got in the business of issuing license
subscriptions for binary only modules.  Where the binary vendor must
register and pay a royality fee.  This fee would be used to support "LI"
and defend Linux in a court case if needed.

I personally would gladly pay a reasonable (usual and customary) fee for
the service and right to sell binary models with out having to pay a
lawyer to write a "position" and be prepared to sue every snot nose brat
in the world.

Otherwise, one has to deal with unreasonable people.

There are people who do not work for distros or have found that other
companies want to control their contributions to GPL, but need a means to
support themselves with there other works related to emerging
technologies.

Obviously I am being way to sensible about the issue, and should go use
NetBSD instead and give them the license money.

Regards,

Andre Hedrick
LAD Storage Consulting Group

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