Re: Debian GNU/w32, may ready to be started?
Dale Scheetz <dwarf@polaris.net> writes:
> Please consider that RMS created the LGPL specificly to allow glibc to be
> installed on, and used by, non-free OS's like Sun. The whole purpose was
> to allow more free software to be run on these machines.
>
> This implies that RMS _is_ in favor of having free software run on a
> non-free OS. (Although he is perfectly able to act in an inconsistant
> fashion.)
This is not wholly true. The LGPL was created to allow linking by
proprietary programs to libraries, yes, to increase acceptance of
these libraries in the early stages. This does not mean RMS was in
favour of having free software run on a non-free OS, but as the glibc
is merely a replication of proprietary software that is already
available there is no inherit advantage in putting it under the GPL.
Note now, though, that it is encouraged for libraries to be put under
the the GPL instead of the LGPL (especially those libraries that
provide unqiue functionality, in that it gives Free Software an
advantage over non-free software). Please see the link below.
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-not-lgpl.html
--
Ryan Golbeck <rmgolbeck@uwaterloo.ca>
Computer Science
University Of Waterloo
GPG: 1024D/78916B84
1B1B 2A87 3F00 A7FB 40F3 526D 36CF BA44 7891 6B84
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