Re: Wasting our Freedom

[Helge Hafting <helge.hafting@aitel.hist.no>]

Jacob Meuser wrote:
> On Sun, Sep 16, 2007 at 05:12:08PM -0400, Theodore Tso wrote:
>
>   
>> reimplement them.  Why don't you go and try asking NetApp for sources
>> to WAFL, and claim that they have "moral" duty to give the code back,
>> and see how quickly you get laughed out of the office?
>>     
>
> which is _exactly_ what you guys are doing.
>
> so the linux community is morally equivilent to a corporation?
>
> that's what it sounds like you are all legally satisfied with.
>   
A difference between linux and corporations: Linux actually
gives changed source code back - just not with a BSD licence on it.
So you can at least see what the linux community did, and do
the same. Although not by direct copying.

But why complain when the linux community do what the
BSD licence lets them?  If you think the linux community
is abusing a loophole in the licence, why don't you just close
the hole? For example, require that changes made to your
code when used in the linux kernel must be made
available under a BSD licence also. Still possible to use
the code anywhere, but with a guarantee of getting stuff back.

Your problem seems to be with the BSD licence,
and the power to alter that licence lies in the BSD community.

Helge Hafting