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Let me put it in terms YOU can understand
You want to write a program.

You have a choice:

(1) Write it from scratch;
(2) Pay someone real money for some libraries or other code so you don't have to code from scratch;
(3) Pay someone for the use of their GPL code/libraries, so that you don't have to begin from scratch, but rather than cash the payment is releasing the enhancements you made back to the community.

No one forces you to choose any one. There are costs with each. It's up to you to decide which is best for you in the long run.

The bottom line is: in the end, there is no free (as is gratis) lunch. You pay something in all three cases. No one is forcing you to bootstrap your development by using the GPL. Even if a potential customer is paying you to write a GPL program, you don't own the code you write for the project - the paying customer does...

And finally, you said "Make changes, must release those changes. How is that not being forced to give your code away? You are not being forced to "give away" your changes. You can keep them to yourself - as long as you only use them internally.

Heck, you can even profit from the use of GPL code without having to contribute back to the community. I'll leave it as a homework excercise for you to figure that one out...
Posted by: NetArch.   Posted on: 09/26/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Obviously with this many people against the GPL3, Richard Stallman has some  DonnieBoy | 09/25/06
Why fix what is not broken?  balsover | 09/26/06
Do you still think think Linus is acting like a cry-baby?  eb276 | 09/26/06
"top developers ?"  Linux Geek | 09/25/06
Don;t worry, "top developers" has nothing to so with yoiu.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/25/06
Er, these are the top LINUX KERNEL developers  A.Sinic | 09/25/06
Come on now  zmud | 09/26/06
Errors or FUD  LarsD | 09/25/06
Clarification? Stallman wants to limit choice.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/25/06
dude, its called freedom of speech...  galileon | 09/25/06
Freedom becomes relative  DevGuy_z | 09/26/06
All dictators use this approach.  osreinstall | 09/26/06
Visit some BSD sites  Suicida| | 09/26/06
Seems apparent to me by now...  Omch'Ar | 09/25/06
Won't die..  Linux User 147560 | 09/25/06
Fork not going to happen  toadlife | 09/26/06
I don't think he's talking about the kernel  Michael Kelly | 09/26/06
Yup  A.Sinic | 09/25/06
Yeah that makes sense...  Omch'Ar | 09/26/06
wishful thinking  galileon | 09/25/06
Fine, democratically amend or don't adopt it  Boot_Agnostic | 09/26/06
Top Linux programmers pan GPLv3  Loverock Davidson | 09/26/06
Rockhead, are ya livin' in sum kinda ENGLISH INTERPRETATION WARP?  OButterball | 09/26/06
Living in the real world  Loverock Davidson | 09/26/06
You're not GIVING away your code  NetArch. | 09/26/06
See, Rockhead? NetArch understands. I would add:  OButterball | 09/26/06
I don't see  Loverock Davidson | 09/26/06
Don't try to explain logic to rockhead...  jasonp@... | 09/26/06
jasonp are you getting mad  Loverock Davidson | 09/26/06
Actually Munich is going over the rule book.  osreinstall | 09/26/06
Ah, good point, osredo.  OButterball | 09/26/06
Varibles can be a pain.  osreinstall | 09/26/06
Sounds like giving it away to me  Loverock Davidson | 09/26/06
Go read up on Intellectual Property Law.  B.O.F.H. | 09/26/06
Re: Sounds like giving it away to me  mKind | 09/26/06
Let me put it in terms YOU can understand  NetArch. | 09/26/06
Only a welcher would make a claim like that.  osreinstall | 09/26/06
Beacause it's not your code  voska | 09/26/06
What's the difference?  balsover | 09/26/06
Bottom line  Linux User 147560 | 09/26/06
As usual....  linux for me | 09/26/06
The only thing laughable  Loverock Davidson | 09/26/06
One more thing about the BSD model  NetArch. | 09/26/06
BSD Model  Loverock Davidson | 09/26/06
You should read the links again.  B.O.F.H. | 09/26/06
Before you attack BSD  Suicida| | 09/26/06
Rep and I love it...  Mike Cox | 09/26/06
Fundamental problem for Linux  ITTech001 | 09/26/06
No problem at all.  linux for me | 09/26/06
Don't confuse the two  NetArch. | 09/26/06
zealots  Clewin | 09/26/06
GPL is the only way to survive in coming war, but money talk$ too loud (NT)  Vily Clay | 09/26/06
OSS is moving slow due to lack of well-ORGANIZED Worldwide Power for OSS.  Vily Clay | 09/27/06
I thought it was a lack of demand.  osreinstall | 09/27/06
Message has been deleted.  Vily Clay | 09/27/06
Vily, there are no boogyman.  osreinstall | 09/28/06
Wake up, osreinstall, otherwise you'll miss the entire reality.  Vily Clay | 09/28/06
If you write a license and nobody uses it, does it really help?  JonathonDoe | 09/26/06
FSF Response - read it here ...  George Mitchell | 09/26/06

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