Sun criticizes popular open-source license

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And you seem to misunderstand the issue

> And who exactly will be building your
> house for free?

Nobody said anyone was expecting that.

> You can't compare software to anything
> physical like a house or a car because
> those items have built-in protection
> against free copying.

No statute, court brief, court decision or summation made in court is subject to copyright; if someone writes a brief in any court case anyone else can use that same brief, or modify it, and use it in another court case. Yet I don't see anyone claiming lawyers need intellectual property protection for their briefs, or judges need it for their decisions. And I don't see people claiming lawyers are going broke as a result of a lack of intellectual property protection.

> Software is unique because it is just
> information that can be "freely" copied.
> That is why there needs to be some
> protection for those that spend the time
> and effort to develop it in the first place.

There is. You can use any license you want on software to which you are the developer. If you choose to have a license that does not permit copying, that is your choice and you are entitled to make it.

> Closed software is a business decision and
> no-one has the right to tell any company they
> cannot follow that model.

And no one is saying they cannot do that. Where did you get the impression anyone was making that claim?

> Just like closed software developers are not
> forcing open source developers to charge for
> they software, open software developers should
> not demand that closed software goes open.

I don't think anyone was demanding anything.

> Open software is a dumb business model

In your opinion. Some companies have found it to be a very workable business model. IBM has found it works in some cases. Note that IBM is not doing everything open source.

> and companies should be allowed to freely pick
> their development model.

They already are and can.

> Why do you care in the first place?

Why do *you* care?

> If there is some closed software that you need,
> then either pay for it or go make your own.

And that is what people are doing. Where is the problem?

> No-one forces you either way.

Exactly.

> It amazes me that people that like to
> think of themselves as "smart" can be
> so short-sighted as you are...

I suspect you need to look at yourself in light of your own comments.

Posted by: rfc1394   Posted on: 04/06/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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