FSF is creating a problem that never existed! [LWN.net]

FSF is creating a problem that never existed!

Posted Oct 7, 2006 2:53 UTC (Sat) by mikov (subscriber, #33179)
In reply to: FSF is creating a problem that never existed! by mingo
Parent article: Busy busy busybox

I have to say that while until now I was hesitant on the GPLv3 issue, after reading your excellent posts on LWN, you have managed to convince at least one person -> me.

It is obvious to me now that even if hypothetically the world would be a better placee with GPLv3's additional restrictions, the FSF has no right to introduce them, because those restrictions are not what many developers agreed to when they were accepting the GPLv2 license. Even if those developers were foolish for not considering and fully understanding what they were accepting, the FSF has no moral right to take advantage of that.

Practically speaking, even if the GPLv3 really IS universally better (obviously many people think that it is), it should not automatically apply to GPLv2-licensed projects who happen to have the "or any later version" text.

All problems will be solved by renaming the GPLv3 to "NGPLv1" so that it isn't covered by the "later version" text. Projects are completely free to adopt it deliberately and knowingly.

(Log in to post comments)