[Discuss] Why use Linux?

[markw at mohawksoft.com (markw at mohawksoft.com)]

> Yes, developers give away some rights if they develop under GPL,

This is simply not true. If I develop my software and publish it under the
GPL, I give away NONE of my freedoms.

If I base my software on the work of others, then my work must align
itself with the original project. Its very easy to ignore the work that
comes before us. The GPL is nothing more than a mechanism for making sure
that people stay honest.

You write your code, you own it. If you take someone else's code, then you
are building on their foundation and have to live with the constraints by
which they made it available to you.

Developers do not give up rights with the GPL, they simply are forced to
decide. Developers decry the GPL because they don't want to use the
license of they code that they use but have not written/own.