Re: Using GPL for LibGTop with an exception for the GNOME Project

[Damien Miller <dmiller ilogic com au>]

On 21 Feb 1999, Martin Baulig wrote:

> I do not want to "discriminate" every one, it was always my primary aim
> to make libgtop the best use for the free software community - and since
> there isdn't any non-GNU ananlogon for it at the moment, releasing it
> under the GPL will give the free software community a real advantage
> over commercial programmers.

I don't think the result of GPLing libGtop will be increased
functionality. Commercial developers will simply re-implement the
functionality that libGtop provides or hack an old LGPL version to
suit their needs. The result of this is that commercial apps will be
more bloated and less portable - I suspect that these are not the
sort of advantages that you had in mind.
  
> > We at Red Hat at least have tried to avoid shipping GPL libraries if
> > at all possible, because we do not like to discriminat against users
> > of any kind. The GPL discriminates against a certain class of users,
> > which is why we use the LGPL.
> 
> I really have no problems with RedHat, no problems with SuSE and no
> problems with other Linux distributions: especially RedHat has done
> very much for the free software community like paying programmers or
> giving us machines for the Gnome Project so I really do not have any
> objections against allowing RedHat to use libgtop in any commercial
> app they want. 

The problem with GPLing libraries is the it also discriminates against
other free software developers who cannot, or prefer not to GPL their
work. If I want to write an XFree86 or BSD licensed program I can't
link it against a GPL libGtop.

> Citing my own posting ...
>
> % However, after reading through the Gnome Mailing List Archive
> % especially the "why it's wrong to use the LGPL" thread I wanted to
> % ask you what you think about changing LibGTop's license to the GPL
> % with a special (LGPL) exception for the GNOME project.
>
> I should explain this a little bit:
>
> As I started with LibGTop in early April 1998 I choosed the LGPL for
> it "since it was a library" - I did not know anything about "why
> it's wrong to use the LGPL" and I thought that libraries should
> always use the LGPL and never the GPL.

I don't agree with RMS's arguments that some libraries should be
GPL'd. If there was a version of the GPL which did not discriminate
against other free licenses I could be convinced otherwise.

Since one of libGtop's goals is to provide cross-platform access to
information that is usually system dependant license compatibility
becomes doubly important. FreeBSD developers would not be able to
use libGtop if it was GPL'd.

I hope that you keep libGtop compatible with other free software.

Regards,
Damien Miller

--
| "Bombay is 250ms from New York in the new world order" - Alan Cox
| Damien Miller - http://www.ilogic.com.au/~dmiller
| Email: dmiller@ilogic.com.au (home) -or- damien@ibs.com.au (work)