[tlug] RE: Response to pretty much all the copy right and liscense posts in the last who knows how long.

[<burlingk@example.com>]

I think I have come to a conclusion.

For open source software, there are so many arguments out there about
which license is best, and how to best protect copy rights, and a number
of other questions.

Theses issues are complicated every time a license is updated.

I personally have come to the following conclusions:

For strong copy left protection, while not totally screwing half the
potential consumer base, LGPL has a lot of benefits.

For a not-so-strong-copy-left-protected license that is still very
stable, answers a lot of questions in a reasonable manner, but is sure
to agitate the die hard GPL people, BSD License version 1.0.  :P  Yes,
the old one.  I kinda like it.

For those who want ultimate copy left protection, and don't care about
personal copy right protections, just pass the code to the public domain
and say the hell with it. ^_^

As for the issue with Microsoft and Suse, lean towards options that are
already in common use over anything that their merging might produce.
Take measures within the community to discourage dependence on
proprietary software, but do not disallow it all together.

If someone wants to pay fifty to five hundred bucks for a solution to
whatever problem they have at the time, rather than spend a few minutes
downloading something for free, that is their issue.  Just don't let the
Operating system itself come to depend on such things.

As for flaky patent issues, mention has been made of "reuse of
non-patented code".  Maybe it is time for those who hold the copy rights
on these pieces to get patents.  Legitimate patent paperwork on hand may
be important eventually for combating those who wish to patent and hold
everything.  It is better for those who currently have the copy rights
to get patents, and hold them, than it is to risk current patent law
enforcement to allow it to be patented by larger more financially well
off companies with big law firms that can convince them that it is ok
for them to patent the unpatentable.  That may sound a bit cynical, but
it is a simple answer to everyone's worst fear.  If you are afraid of
that kind of tactics, then  you have to fight accordingly.  A legal
patent in hand when you go before a judge will hold up a lot better than
a time stamped file from your PC, or a semi-random server.

This may seem rant-like, but I am sure that it at least deserves saying.
^_^