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

[Sam Vilain <sam hydro gen nz>]

Miguel de Icaza <miguel@nuclecu.unam.mx> writes:

> > I understand your frustration, but the question here was "GPL vs 
> > LGPL", not "GPL vs non-copyleft". The worst thing that can happen
> > to libGtop is that a proprietry vendor dynamically links to it.
> > 
> > Who knows, this may even serve to educate the vendor.
> 
> Well, what a better way to educate this vendor than making him aware
> of the virtues of free software?  If Gtop were released under the GPL,
> who know, maybe a big program of his, say, a distributed system
> monitor would be donated to the community under a free license?

IBM (Tivoli) already have an equivalent of libGtop that they use for
their distributed monitoring.  HP probably do with Openview as well.
They don't need libGTop.

Maybe there should be a licence between the LGPL and the GPL that
allows free software to link to it only; ie if the license is anything
up to as loose as BSD.  Then somehow make it a license violation to
make the linked code non-free.
-- 
Sam Vilain, sam@whoever.com         work: sam.vilain@unisys.com
http://www.hydro.gen.nz                home: sam@hydro.gen.nz