Care to point any other definition? [LWN.net]

Care to point any other definition?

Posted Jul 27, 2009 18:14 UTC (Mon) by foom (subscriber, #14868)
In reply to: Care to point any other definition? by khim
Parent article: Launchpad source released

How come? Where is fault in my logic? [etc]

While I certainly have mixed feelings about AGPL, you have not made a very persuasive argument. AGPL's justification for requiring that you distribute source is clearly the same as GPL's: "The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it do what you wish." AGPL merely requires that you enable more people to have that freedom than the GPL does.

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Care to point any other definition?

Posted Jul 28, 2009 6:13 UTC (Tue) by khim (subscriber, #9252) [Link]

AGPL's justification for requiring that you distribute source is clearly the same as GPL's: "The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it do what you wish."

That's merely freedom number 2, it can not trump freedom number 0.

AGPL merely requires that you enable more people to have that freedom than the GPL does.

AGPL severely limits my freedom number 0 for the sake of freedom number 2. It also imposes "freedom" number 3 effectively making it obligation for no good reason at all.

It's like three laws of robotics: everyone agree it's good (even if impractical) laws, but put law number 3 above law number 2 (let alone law number 1) - and you have unmitigated disaster (as Asimov showed in his works). Situation with free software definition is the same: minor changes (like GPL => AGPL change) can convert acceptable thing to abomintaion.