Hello @ all
I have put an article on the Linux India Wiki called GPL-Virus Or Vaccine . http://lug-bhopal.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/GPL-VirusOrVaccine
<quote>
A common refrain that I keep hearing on the mailing lists and the websites is how the GNU General Public License ( http://www.fsf.org/licenses/licenses.html#TOCGPL), henceforth referred to as GPL, is viral. Microsoft, SCO and clueless marketing drones have added their share of fuel to this smear campaign, making companies and managers wary of choosing GPL licensed products. A virus is a parasitic microorganism that can make humans or computers sick; comparing anything with a virus is a nasty accusation. Usually the accusers provide no justifications on why has not tried to justify this accusation. Let us therefore try to investigate whether the GPL is really like a virus.
</quote>
Please have a look at it and let me know what you all think. Better still, you can edit the article (since it is on Wiki) to share your ideas. If you are new to wiki you can learn on how to use the wiki from here http://lug-bhopal.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/HowToUseWiki
Regards
Raj Shekhar said on Mon, Jun 07, 2004 at 09:05:36AM +0530,:
I have put an article on the Linux India Wiki called GPL-Virus Or Vaccine . http://lug-bhopal.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/GPL-VirusOrVaccine
Raj, first things first.
The license at the bottom does not allow modification - something not in tune with spirit of the wiki. Unless you change that license into something like the GNU FDL, _I_ am not going to edit the page. (Not that I am against verbatim licenses, I do use them; my point is only that verbatim licenses are inappropriate for wiki pages.
Second, while you have all the good intentions in doing this, I trust that you are aware of how search engines index pages. IMHO, it is not a good ting to have words like GNU and GPL appear in the context of `virus'. People searching for information on things like hepatitis might end up on this page.
A good way of phrasing this would to say ``Why GPL'', and add a sub section titled `Is the GPL viral'? And a good way of going about it is to start with defining the term `viral'. A good dictionary will give you the real meaning of the term GPL.
Here is an example:-
<quote>
From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
virus n 1: (virology) ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts; many are pathogenic; a piece of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) wrapped in a thin coat of protein 2: a harmful or corrupting agency; "bigotry is a virus that must not be allowed to spread"; "the virus of jealousy is latent in everyone" 3: a software program capable of reproducing itself and usually capable of causing great harm to files or other programs on the same computer; "a true virus cannot spread to another computer without human assistance" [syn: {computer virus}] </unquote>
Now, the gpl does not replicate itself. Nor is it pathogenic. It certainly does not corrupt anything.
The long and short of the GNU GPL is this:- it ensures that you do not take away people's freedoms by distributing modified software written by others.
So, ALL the following should apply at the same time:-
1. You should be dealing with software written by others. 2. You should have modified or 3. You should be distributing it.
The GNU (L)GPL does not apply to software written by, and therefore, owned by you. I think it is only fair that the copyright holder prescribes the terms under which his software is used. Is it not?
That is a feature of the copyright law, not of GPL.
The term `viral' as applied to the GNU GPL is a lot like use of terms `intellectual property' and `piracy'. People want to create fear, confusion and doubt by spreading loosely defined, inaccurate, and often, blatantly wrong terminology.
HTH
Hello there, --- "Mahesh T. Pai" paivakil@vsnl.net wrote:
Raj, first things first.
The license at the bottom does not allow modification - something not in tune with spirit of the wiki. Unless you change that license into something like the GNU FDL, _I_
am not going to edit the page.
Pai vakil, now that you bring this up. I guess we put all the technical docs under FDL. Any other comments!
Second, while you have all the good intentions in doing this, I trust that you are aware of how search engines index pages. IMHO, it is not a good ting to have words like GNU and GPL appear in the context of `virus'. People searching for information on things like hepatitis might end up on this page.
Well, lunatech you need to clean up on the title.Apart from the search engine indexing problem mentioned by pai. I guess " GPL-Virus Or Vaccine" doesn't do justice to the content of the article.
A good way of phrasing this would to say ``Why GPL'', and add a sub section titled `Is the GPL viral'? And a good way of going about it is > to start with defining the term
`viral'.
cheers
--arky
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Mahesh T. Pai wrote:
Raj Shekhar said on Mon, Jun 07, 2004 at 09:05:36AM +0530,:
I have put an article on the Linux India Wiki called GPL-Virus Or Vaccine . http://lug-bhopal.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/GPL-VirusOrVaccine
Raj, first things first.
The license at the bottom does not allow modification - something not in tune with spirit of the wiki. Unless you change that license into something like the GNU FDL, _I_ am not going to edit the page. (Not that I am against verbatim licenses, I do use them; my point is only that verbatim licenses are inappropriate for wiki pages.
I have changed it. It now reads "This article is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License". The Linux India Wiki does not specify the copyright of the articles published on it. Hence I put it in. You are correct, I should not have used the earlier notice.
A good way of phrasing this would to say ``Why GPL'', and add a sub section titled `Is the GPL viral'? And a good way of going about it is to start with defining the term `viral'.
This suggestion is really good. I should have thought about it. However, I will not be able to put in the changes today as I am suffering from a terrible backache (from bad sitting posture I guess :-( ).
Thanks for the suggestions
Regards
-
Mahesh T. Pai -
Raj Shekhar -
Rakesh 'arky' Ambati