I had to apply GPL licensing to a source code I was writing. I hit on gnu.org and started reading the HOWTO…bla bla bla…
either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version
IANAL, concerns and confusions started to spin my head around. Let’s ask the only and the bloody search engine used by 99.999% of the world human population. As usually Linus Torvalds succours:
The fact is, anybody who cares about the copyright license he uses on software (and I sure do care!) should *never* give a blank check to somebody else that they don’t trust to change that license for them.
Sound very reasonable.
- ..or you trust the FSF implicitly.
In this case, you’re not an independent entity, you’re just a lackey
of the FSF when it comes to the license.
Sounds disturbing!
The FSF “generously and helpfully” suggests the most idiotic and the least advantageous option assuming that everybody trusts FSF. It’s just not right!
Hmm, paraphrasing Linus Torvalds’ famous statement: if your GPL-ed code includes or any later version in license notice, you shouldn’t be here. You should be in some mental institution, somewhere else.
Mateusz, you should not even trust Linus too much: http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.version-control.git/57643/focus=57918 at least if you value your work more than bullshit.
Sfetano,
Hehe, yes I know Linus’ opinion on that subject quite well.
Trust is not the same as agreement with someone’s opinion on some subjects. I haven’t said I trust Linus. I said I agree with Linus’ opinion on this particular issue. As well as I agree with Linus’s opinion CVS vs Git, but I don’t agree with him in many other areas. Although, I agree (yes, I do!) with some of points of Linus’ critique about C++ language.
Actually, Linus’ touches much more important problem. It’s not uncommon people impressionable take the following as true: FOSS == trust and properietary == evil. It’s a huge oversimplification. There are no gods who everybody trusts and no evils who everybody does not trust. Nothing is black and white.
Linus says to me this:
* First, think!
* Second, understand!
* Third, think again!
and don’t be simple-minded, be pragmatically inquisitive, even if you see angel wings on somebody’s back.