KDE hurts Qt (was Re: LICENSES)
> Now, I won't install Qt even for the parts of KDE I like.
This is the really sad part about this whole mess. Qt is a nice
library. Non-free, but not everything has to be free. But because of
the refusal of the KDE developers to FIX THE KDE LICENSE PROBLEMS, a lot
of people are being turned off of Qt! Qt doesn't deserve this, and I
think the KDE team should: 1) fix their license problems, and 2)
apologize to Trolltech.
To the KDE team: it doesn't matter whether you believe that the GPL is
compatible with Qt. The GPL may be open to interpretation, but that's
not relevant -- the biggest problem with the KDE license is the
existence of the controversy! Which isn't going to go away unless you
persuade RMS to accept your interpretation (good luck!), or you add an
exception clause to the license, or switch to a GPL-compatible library.
Until one of those three things happens, KDE is doing Troll a
disservice. (Fourth option: get a ruling from a judge in every country
KDE is used in.)
If I were building a linux distribution I would not include KDE even
*if* I were willing to admit that your interpretation of the GPL *might*
be right -- which I am. I'd want to be sure! (Unless I had deep enough
pockets to feel that the risk was worth it.) But then I live in the
USA, where people sue at the drop of a hat.
--
Chris Waters xtifr@dsp.net | I have a truly elegant proof of the
or cwaters@systems.DHL.COM | above, but it is too long to fit into
http://www.dsp.net/xtifr | this .signature file.
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