The value of middlemen

Posted Aug 12, 2004 15:24 UTC (Thu) by jre (guest, #2807)
Parent article: The value of middlemen

I encountered the same problems as everyone else when I first tried to burn a DVD under Linux. In searching for the right patches, I found that Jörg Schilling had set up a weird system in which his GPLed CD-writing tools coexisted with a proprietary DVD-burning application, for which non-commercial users could get a time-limited key. The whole thing made my head spin. Then I discovered K3B, and my troubles were over.

I admire Jörg Schilling for the superb work he's done in creating the suite of CD-writing tools we all use. I respect his right to license his own work under whatever license he wishes. But, as a practical matter, I wish he would stick with the (correct) decision he made initially, and GPL every tool he releases. Trying to have it both ways just causes a lot of heartache and confusion and -- given the availability of alternative tools -- probably does not benefit him much, either.