[Discuss] Profiting from GPL software

[richard.pieri at gmail.com (Rich Pieri)]

On 11/12/2015 4:57 PM, Greg Rundlett (freephile) wrote:
> Using terms like rights, freedoms, ethics and morals describes how it IS
> socialism.  You are caught up in a world view where "Socialism" = bad and
> rabid capitalism = ideal.  Socialism is sharing. In this country, they USED
> TO teach that sharing is good (in kindergarten no less).  Not so much
> anymore.  Some things are innately meant to be shared... especially things
> which when shared produce more total benefit.  Especially things that are
> intangible and have a zero cost of reproduction.  Things like math, and
> law, and knowledge.

There's a difference between generosity and socialism. Generosity is
sharing because it is what you want to do. Socialism is sharing because
it is required and enforced by some authority such as a government or a
software license. Generosity is freedom; socialism is tyranny. Calling
socialism "freedom" is a bald-faced lie.

As a point, I don't believe that capitalism, rabid or otherwise, is the
ideal. I'm a libertarian. Personal liberty is the ideal. I'm enough of a
realist to understand that a balance between personal liberty and the
common good needs to be maintained for society to function.

This is why I don't believe in perpetual copyright. I believe in the
original intent of copyright in the Constitution: an exclusive but
time-limited right to control one's works. I consider this to be a
reasonable balance between individual liberty and the common good.


> The thing that confuses me about software developers who espouse licenses
> other than GPL is that they specifically grant others (companies) the right
> to take from them, without any benefit whatsoever.  The BSD, MIT and Apache
> style licenses are a corporate/hoarder's dream come true.

It confuses you because you believe that the free as in FSF ideology
takes precedence over the quality of the software that users receive.

-- 
Rich P.