On Monday 22 June 2009, Raj Mathur wrote:
On Monday 22 Jun 2009, Krishnakant wrote:
That is a mis interpritation of free software. Free software believes that freedom is for every one and freedom granted does not imply that you get permission to deny freedom to others. Open source allows people the freedom to deny freedom to others. For example GPL statutes that if you make changes to the free software code, you have the right to re-distribute the softwrae with change but also pas on the same rights or freedom to others who get that code. So free software means you *must* get the freedom but also respect the freedom of others. You will not deny freedom to share the software. So we beleive that every ones freedom is to be respected. I won't be allowed to take some free software and then making it "mine " or proprietory so to speak. But with many other licences other than GPL I will get the facility of not shareing with you what I got from some one who shared with me.
Once again, please do not mix up licences with philosophies of the free software and open source movements. OSI recognises the GPL as an Open Source licence, and FSF recognises the BSD licence as a Free Software licence.
There are multiple issues here, which are unfortunately being made into a khichdi by this thread:
The philosophies of the free software and open source movements.
The methodologies the FS and OS movements use, advocate and propagate
to achieve their ends.
- Strong and weak copyleft licences, the reasons for their existence,
and their effects.
Choose any one you like and and discuss it to your heart's content, but, as Monsanto would say, please do not cross-pollinate ideas of one stream with facts from another!
The above sentence must be pasted at the beginning of every philosophy / licence discussion.
Secondly "promoting opensource" in business is like teaching a tiger to hunt - always very dangerous. Also Businesses will always seek an optimum level. Those who dont sink. There is no need to muddle about with philosophy to "teach / promote / introduce / whatever" businesses about "Opensource".