Re: [GnomeMeeting-list] PWC driver story continues.

[Wouter Van Hemel <wouter-gnomemeeting fort-knox rave org>]

On Wed, 15 Sep 2004, Johnny Strom wrote:

> Hi
>
>
> Well this i becouse how FreeBSD is licensed, I prefer gpl/lgpl kind of
> license becouse then one knows that the software will be around in the 
> future.

Or, in the case of many drivers, no software at all.

The way I see it, the GPL is an utopia. It's definitely worth fighting 
for, but in the mean while, I would like to use my webcam. Life goes on, 
I'm not going to hold my breath for all companies to open up all of their 
drivers and specifics before I fulfill the main goal of using my webcam to 
talk to people.

Sometimes, the goal is to improve the world, and do things the hard way, 
sticking to what you believe in. Using my webcam is not one of those 
things; you can't fight all battles. It's software; not a religion. I 
don't like religion.

The GPL is extremist, because it allows no middle way or respects no other 
license. And while that is good for some things, I believe it's also very 
unproductive and unflexible for others, such as allowing companies to 
slowly open up more of their drivers. Nobody wants to hear "the code or 
fuck off". That attitude makes the GPL even more just an utopia.

And I don't need to tell you that we (as in the Linux users) *need* 
drivers; without pwc, for example, the support for 'available' webcams in 
Linux would be practically nill.

Nothing is _always_ the answer. Unless you are a good mathematician. :)