Re: <nettime> Linux strikes back III

[Wayne Myers <waz@easynet.co.uk>]

> I am confused.

Yes.

> Do you think that the FSF should simply let companies do what they like 
> with Open Source code? Including make money out of it?

Do you think that the GPL means that no-one is allowed to make money
out of software so licensed? Have you not heard of a company by the
name of 'Red Hat'? Or another one by the name of 'Suse'? Or any number
of other for-profit companies that are making money out of GPL'ed
software.

Nowhere in the GPL does it say 'You are not allowed to make money out
of this'. That's not what the GPL is about.  The idea that you can't
make money from GPLed software is, of course, one of the lies that the
anti-GPL FUD crowd like to spread about it.

The following page provides a clear overview of what free software (FSF
style) is and is not:

http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

Key quotes:

* 'Free software' is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the
concept, you should think of 'freex'' as in `free speech,' not as in
'free beer.'

* 'Free software' does not mean 'non-commercial'. A free program must
be available for commercial use, commercial development, and commercial
distribution. Commercial development of free software is no longer
unusual; such free commercial software is very important.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Wayne

-- 
Wayne Myers
http://www.waz.easynet.co.uk/

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