GPL 3 isn't the 'last call;' FSF locks in on Microsoft-Novell

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Several thoughts...

I guess the first thing that stands out to me is the depth of the legalize. (The size of the new licnense) Users have always had a difficult time understanding and applying the GPL properly (several law suits over it in fact). This is going to do nothing but complicate it even more for the end user and even developers. Will it complicate it so much that the majority simply say no thanks? I believe it will. Especially in the corporate world where lawyers have sway in decision making. Face it, corporate lawyers would always prefer to error on the side of caution.

The second thing is how much power Microsoft has had in forcing and to some extent controling this version of the GPL. They managed to induce a level of paranoia that I find disheartening. As stated in the article, the MS/Novell deal didn't really cause a bit of harm, and yet the *emotional* (read as zealotry) responce borders on the fanatical. Like it or not, this fact will not go un-noticed by the corporate world. In fact many in the corporate world will see this as open source being afraid to compete on merit and at a minimum will see it as open source not wanting to give users interoperability. (Unless of course Stallman gets to dictate what interoperability is and how it happens.)

Reading through the draft it is apparent that it is targeting DRM in both hardware and software. Simply put, that is going to leave open source "out in the cold" as more and more people wish to protect their IP. (Users and providers from all walks.)

And finally, Linus T. has been adament that Linux is not going to adopt the GPL-3 (It can not due to all the contributers and tracking them down and getting their permission.) Without open source's "flag ship" offering the entire thing becomes all but moot.

The truth is, all I see here is one man's (Stallman) political/emotional view manifesting itself to the detriment of users and indeed the open source movement in general. Everyone can say "It's not about corporate acceptance" but they are kidding themselves. If it dies in the corporate world there is nothing left but the tiny minority of users left to keep it alive and that won't last long.

What do I see in the future? The GPL-2 will be with us a very, very long time...

Posted by: No_Ax_to_Grind   Posted on: 03/28/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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