NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #1/NN_1993_1.iso/spool/comp/sys/mac/oop/misc/157

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-04 | 3.4 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!ultramac!raph
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.oop.misc
Distribution: world
From: [e-mail] (Kent Sandvik)
Organization: Odyssey Ultraware, Inc
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 05:33:34 CDT
Subject: Re: GNU copyleft (was: Summary: I'm faint!)
Lines: 71

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Paul
O'Keefe) wrote:
>
>
> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(Craig Keithley) writes:
> >
> > Unfortunately the GNU "copyleft" for GCC (and their varients of lex &
> > yacc), prevent me from using those tools for commercial work.
>
> The GNU copyleft is much discussed and I don't wish to revive the debate
here,
> but the above might lead some to believe that the commercial use of
> copylefted software will undermind thier property rights.
>
> Several companies have include GNU stuff which thier products
> and I'm not aware that any have suffered as a result.
>
> So, I suspect that it's Apple's conservative legal policy and not the
copyleft
> that prevents Craig from using GCC.

Gee, it's been agest since I was last involved with GNU battles,
and frankly speaking I enjoyed staying out from all that legal crap. So
this is maybe the last comment ever I will have about GNU. Originally
the GNU manifesto had some strict rules stating that anything produced
with GNU tools should be shipped with full sources and copyleft. Due to
pressure from the working programmer community field this manifesto was
changed, and nowadays it should not be a legal problem to produce binaries
and not ship the sources. There's something still going on concerning the
libc++ libraries, but someone else might comment on that.

Anyway, nothing hinders the FSF people to suddenly revise their rules, so
I guess that's why legal people in various software companies warns
for use of GNU tools due to possible sudden future problems. This is the
scary part FSF and legal issues, in my humble opinion. Or in other words,
as Nietzsche said: "Moral judgement and condemnation is the favorite form
of revenge for the spiritually limited on those who are less so....".

or, "Battle not with monsters, lest you become a monster."

I agreee, Nietzsche was a racist :-). And the last cite applies to him
as well.

Cheers,
Kent
PS: Have fun during the holidays breaks!
-------------------
Kent Sandvik (UUCP: ....!apple!ksand; INTERNET: [e-mail])
DISCLAIMER: Private activities on the Net.
"Don't just do something!  Stand there!"  -- Mystery Science Theater 3000


------ Internet Message Header Follows ------
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.oop.misc
Path: wupost!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!agate!apple!mumbo.apple.com!gallant.apple.com!wintermute.apple.com!user
From: [e-mail] (Kent Sandvik )
Subject: Re: GNU copyleft (was: Summary: I'm faint!)
Sender: [e-mail]
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 22:35:35 GMT
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
<[e-mail]>
<[e-mail]>
<[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
<[e-mail] <[e-mail]>
Organization: (Evil Eye Creature from Mars, Inc.)
Followup-To: comp.sys.mac.oop.misc,comp.sys.mac.programmer
Lines: 48