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A reason I used GPL
Mainly because I don't want the hassles of trying to sell software I create while I want people to use it. Now the people I want to use it are not many so it's just not worth my time. So I can use the GPL to protect my investment and let others build on it.

To me making software is not how you making money. You makes software to make it easier to make money in another form of business.

For example: If I set up a server hosting an online game that I make and I charge a $5 month fee to use my server the software just helps me do that. Now if someone else wants to use my software to set up a server just like mine all the power to them and we compete on who offers the best service. By putting my code under the GPL and the competing company ads new feature I can add those same feature to my server.

Now I do exactly what I descibe above and I charge a few for ISP charges as I need a dedicated IP address and greater bandwidth. All my game is for is setting up battle for a board game called SFB. It hold a galaxy in a database and manages who is control of what sectors of the map and allows moves to be added online where conflict happens and a boards game match time is established. One day I'd like to license the actual game and write it so the battles could be done online but that's time off in the future.

Now if one of the players decided to take my software and do something like I've done all the power to them. Hope they have fun. The GPL protects me, I'd sure hate to have to buy my own creation down the road.
Posted by: voska   Posted on: 05/10/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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I don't agree entirely  voska | 05/10/04
True  rapson | 05/10/04
Partial agreement  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
The idea that people are creative only if they are paid is FALSE!  DonnieBoy | 05/10/04
And if I was saying that, you'd be right...  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
Let's see, the guys at JBoss don't have financial incentive? MySQL?  DonnieBoy | 05/10/04
Couple points  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
JBoss MUST inovate as well, they just have a different cost structure.  DonnieBoy | 05/11/04
Another thing, you really were saying that.  DonnieBoy | 05/10/04
Take me at my word...  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
It's all about inertia - closed source/proprietary has more  oldskool | 05/10/04
Again, your arguments do not hold water.  DonnieBoy | 05/11/04
Office not generic?  Fred Fredrickson | 05/11/04
Doesn't it go without saying?  betelgeuse68 | 05/10/04
In the main, I agree  IT_User | 05/10/04
A few missed points...  Tim Patterson | 05/10/04
Not akin to extortion  rapson | 05/10/04
Unfortunately, it feels like it...  Patrick Jones | 05/10/04
Upgrade Treadmills, etc.  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
John, MS formats DO force upgrades.  DonnieBoy | 05/11/04
Not for platforms and protocols  Eggs Ackley_z | 05/10/04
If it can be sold, it should be proprietary  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
True to a point  Mack DaNife | 05/10/04
How much does software have to do?  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
That's not the consumers job  voska | 05/10/04
There are no tools to work with proprietary software?  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
Not sure what you mean  voska | 05/10/04
What he's saying?  rapson | 05/10/04
Exactly; thanks. (NT)  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
Ahh.. I see  voska | 05/10/04
Agreed, no incentive to switch  IT_User | 05/10/04
Sorry I wasn't clear  Mack DaNife | 05/10/04
I did the same  IT_User | 05/10/04
Hmmm..  Patrick Jones | 05/10/04
I can accept that as an answer.  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
Funny...  Patrick Jones | 05/10/04
On the other hand...  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
Money..  Patrick Jones | 05/10/04
Fishing with dynamite  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
Assumptions  Patrick Jones | 05/10/04
Protections no, but not doing harm, yes.  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
Anton, We will have to agree to disagree  Patrick Jones | 05/10/04
A reason I used GPL  voska | 05/10/04
Re: Fishing?  John L. Ries | 05/10/04
Idealism hurts  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
Trade Union Mentality  John L. Ries | 05/10/04
Dumping on professionals  Anton Philidor | 05/11/04
Dumping  John L. Ries | 05/11/04
Yes, Money...  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
Assumptions, again  Patrick Jones | 05/10/04
Regarding candidates for open source  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
We do charge for our work, John  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/10/04
And...  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
What motivates open source developers  voska | 05/10/04
Lenin  John L. Ries | 05/10/04
Re: Lenin  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
Re: Lenin  John L. Ries | 05/10/04
Developers interests are their employers' interests  j.m.galvin | 05/10/04
Good Examples  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
JC: You're off on that  j.m.galvin | 05/10/04
Point is well taken  John L. Ries | 05/10/04
right comparison, wrong model  Spam-ZD | 05/11/04
Re: On the other hand...  Martin Marvinski | 05/12/04
Comapnies shold not be allowed to do their own vehicle maintenance  j.m.galvin | 05/10/04
How's that for making typos? NT  j.m.galvin | 05/10/04
I nveer mispelll antyhing  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
UPS  j.m.galvin | 05/10/04
Not a zero-sum game  IT_User | 05/10/04
Yes, IBM is a bigger danger.  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
Untested theories  IT_User | 05/10/04
but...  eldrave | 05/10/04
Persistence  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/10/04
Ignoring users needs and giving them "gadgets" instead  j.m.galvin | 05/10/04
Which users have you been observing?  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
Interesting  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
Keep in mind though..  Mack DaNife | 05/10/04
That's the hybrid model  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
Okay, but you assume an answer here.  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
Wrong Anton...  Tim Patterson | 05/10/04
Pure service vs. consultant model  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
You left out JBOSS group from your analysis of anti-service  oldskool | 05/10/04
Unfortunately, Free is relative  agramont@... | 05/10/04
Maybe not...  John L. Ries | 05/10/04
Keep trying, Anton  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/10/04
Disagree in part...  wploger | 05/10/04
Yes, they can develop for open source...  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
Job security  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/10/04
Volunteer replacements are acceptable?  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
anton sings the same old song.  Spam-ZD | 05/11/04
There's logic.  Anton Philidor | 05/11/04
Here is what troubles me  IT_User | 05/11/04
Different models  Anton Philidor | 05/11/04
Our agreement/disagreement is by degree as well.  Mack DaNife | 05/10/04
Ummm, a title  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
To be clear  Mack DaNife | 05/10/04
My two cents...  wploger | 05/10/04
Who cares if people lose jobs?  LinuxLover74 | 05/10/04
Not in somebody's basement  Anton Philidor | 05/10/04
Copyright and patent duration play into it.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 05/10/04
Wow, someplace we can agree!  DonnieBoy | 05/10/04
The idea of Patents is sound  voska | 05/10/04
There are other patents that are bogus besides software.  DonnieBoy | 05/10/04
You want to talk about EVILS in the patent system...  Laff | 05/11/04
Bravo! Bravo! Excellent Writing! (NT)  P. Douglas | 05/10/04
Basic versus Applied Science  tic swayback | 05/10/04
Some comments  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
Risk aversion  tic swayback | 05/10/04
Re: Risk Aversion  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
Which is why we need more than companies  tic swayback | 05/11/04
I agree  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/11/04
Fallacies, part One  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/10/04
Intuit is example why OS exists  voska | 05/10/04
So true.  Rick_K | 05/10/04
Response, Part 1  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/11/04
Upgrade Cycles  John L. Ries | 05/13/04
Fallacies, part Two  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/10/04
You should know better.....  Rick_K | 05/10/04
Better than what?  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/10/04
Users just wanted stability Users just wanted stability  j.m.galvin | 05/10/04
This is Wierd  j.m.galvin | 05/10/04
ZD Innovation  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/10/04
...and yet...  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/10/04
You're getting defensive of MS  j.m.galvin | 05/10/04
The other side of my personality  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/11/04
A slight correction on Mac stability & one other thing  j.m.galvin | 05/11/04
AT&T  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/12/04
Concerning "hype", "geeks", and "Great Satans"  _Akira | 05/12/04
All true...but so what?  Cayble | 01/20/06
Oh puh-leeze!  Robert Crocker | 05/11/04
Oh leeze-puh  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/11/04
puh Oh -leeze  Robert Crocker | 05/11/04
Response, Part 2  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/11/04
Fallacies, part Three  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/10/04
Response, Part 3  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/11/04
That is LUDICROUS  j.m.galvin | 05/11/04
Excellent response, but ya missed 2 points  Fred Fredrickson | 05/12/04
Tree, Forest  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/12/04
This one confuses me  IT_User | 05/11/04
Standards  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/11/04
Economic Rationalism versus Social Benefit  Fred Fredrickson | 05/10/04
The problem  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 05/11/04
Only one of everything?  rapson | 05/11/04
Actually, That's what J. Carroll is espousing  j.m.galvin | 05/11/04
And what I am expecting  IT_User | 05/11/04
I hope not  j.m.galvin | 05/11/04
Highlander  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/11/04
No, that's not it.  Fred Fredrickson | 05/12/04
No, it's the solution  Fred Fredrickson | 05/12/04
Re: The Problem  John L. Ries | 05/13/04
Proprietary software closer to the customers?  NemesisNL | 05/10/04
The argument intentionally confuses roles ... baffle 'em with BS!  oldskool | 05/10/04
Lets see  V Sanders | 05/10/04
Or....  Robert Crocker | 05/11/04
TiVo  Anton Philidor | 05/11/04
Tivo's reason to use Linux  mr.pragmatic | 05/12/04
Caroll's statements prove closed source at disadvantage ...  oldskool | 05/10/04
oops ... tail end was cut & past from article ... but its more fodder  oldskool | 05/10/04
Software Is Limited  ParadigmOdyssey | 05/10/04
BE-YOU-TEE-FULLLL!!!  Robert Crocker | 05/11/04
answer  toadlife | 05/11/04
DARPA funded  Robert Crocker | 05/13/04
Christmas Carrol  pj-xmesh | 05/11/04
So you admit you don't know, but write 4 installments anyway  oldskool | 05/11/04
Hats off to J.M Galvin  jellyclock | 05/12/04
The MONEY issue  mr.pragmatic | 05/12/04
SCO Anger  MrStanaland | 05/12/04
Re: SCO Anger  mr.pragmatic | 05/12/04
P-Shop'n Gimp ?  pj-xmesh | 05/13/04
Companies are best positioned to figure out what customers actually want.  MrStanaland | 05/12/04
some objections  VSim | 08/06/04

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