Re: Linux and GPLv2

[Daniel Carrera <dcarrera@math.umd.edu>]

Matthew Palmer wrote:

> I fear a lot of unpleasant forking action when the GPLv3 comes out, if it
> contains significant language changes along the lines of the GFDL (which I
> believe it will, from statements I've read from RMS and Hasn Reiser, amongst
> others), between people who decide to go "v2 only" and those who like v3 and
> will go "v2 or later" or even "v3 or later", which will effectively produce
> licence-incompatible forks.

:-(

Let's hope that the powers that be have enough foresight to avoid this as much 
as possible. I think that the GPLv2 needs to be updated to, somehow, deal with 
the problem of software patents. Ok, IANAL, but I'd like to see a clause that 
says, "I won't sue you for any sw patents I might have covering this code". The 
phrasing would be tricky to get right, but you get my meaning. I am very 
worried about sw patents, and I'm hoping that the GPLv3 will address them to 
some extent.

Cheers,
-- 
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