LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Angus Wallace <angus.wallace@flinders.edu.au>
  To  : LinuxSA <linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au>
  Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 09:08:16 +0930

Re: bsd- easier than you think

> ... and here, friends and neighbors, is the ultimate end-game of the
> Free Software Society.  It's really, truly, the best they can do.

Yup, its a choice. But here's a thought progression.

-BSD is essentially the same as GPL, except that it gives the
user/programmer/company the right to restrict the rights of those to
whom they pass the software.

-Most 'Western' (and many other) countries have laws protecting others
rights (i.e. people don't have the right to murder, assault, etc others)
which effectively amounts to a restriction *and* an extension of
personal rights.
For example, my rights are restricted because I don't have the right to
kill my neighbour, but they are extended because my neighbour doesn't
have the right to kill me (to take a crude example).
GPL limits people's rights in order to protect peoples rights ("you
can't restrict others' rights" is essentially what the GPL says) - IMO
this is more in keeping with 'Western' law. This doesn't make it
'better', but IMO makes it 'fairer' and 'more accessible'.

-- 
Angus Wallace              o__     o__     o__     o__     o__
Flinders University        ,>/'_   ,>/'_   ,>/'_   ,>/'_   ,>/'_
Ph. (08) 82013363         (_)\(_) (_)\(_) (_)\(_) (_)\(_) (_)\(_)
angus.wallace@flinders.edu.au    Ride a Bike!




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