Re: mysql now gpl'ed
On Thu, Jun 29, 2000 at 06:58:14PM -0400, Adam McKenna wrote:
> On Thu, Jun 29, 2000 at 09:42:21PM +0200, Francesco Tapparo wrote:
> > Are you saying that it is right to develop proprietary software to make a
> > living from it?
> > Then I cannot agree: proprietary licenses are not moral, in my opinion.
> > I'm not searching a polemics, but I must distantiate myself from your
> > opinions.
>
> Four legs good. Two legs bad.
Indeed. Scholars good; murderers bad. Just because discrimination is
bad, per se, does not meant that we cannot make useful moral
distinctions.
To return to this topic; in fact, TCX had shown considerable
commitment to free software before this point, including GPL'ing
first the client half of mysql, then old versions of the server half,
before finally the whole kaboodle (just now). The previous license was
not 'proprietary' --- it had the same goal as the GPL, essentially,
which was to allow free use, and also to allow derivation as long as
the derivatives did not go proprietary. However, since the last part
was not as well thought out, perhaps, it forbade commercial sales.
But, all-in-all, the intent of the license was, IMO, consistent with
the ideals of free software, and I'm very glad they've taken the
logical next step!
--
Jules Bean | Any sufficiently advanced
jules@{debian.org,jellybean.co.uk} | technology is indistinguishable
jmlb2@hermes.cam.ac.uk | from a perl script
Reply to: