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(Was Re: Formal Member Registration)



On Mon, May 29, 2000 at 01:09:58PM +0530, Indranil Das Gupta wrote:

> GPL is bad. Sure... GPL does make things a little difficult for
> ppl/organisations trying to commercially exploit the potentials of
> Linux...

What is wrong with "commercially trying to exploit the potential of 
Linux"? For any operating system, or for that matter anything in this 
world that has been created by /homo sapiens/, is uaually in a state 
of flux, and there are some people who do things better than others. 
Would you grudge these people because they are benefiting from their 
talents commercially? Would these same set of people become demi-gods 
if they gave everything away for free? Are'nt RedHat Inc., SuSE gmbh 
commercially exploiting Linux by selling packaged CDs for more than 
the cost of the raw CD and burning? Even if they are, it _is_ a 
necessity. It is a case of optimising. Or how else do you think would 
you popularise Linux?

If you read Tim OReilly's column at their site, there was a debate 
some time back - GNU god RMS had denounced OReilly Press because 
according to him, the quality of OReilly's books made it difficult 
for other free source authors to become compete and become popular. 
What sh*t! If anything, it only went to say something of the quality 
of OR's books and RMS's rant. Is OReilly press commercially 
exploiting Linux?

> sure that hackers/programmers the very ppl who built it all up 
> continues
> to have the right to do what they have been
> doing --> creating s/w, without any hindrance. Technical points 
> aside,
> IMVHO, its precisely the GPL that makes Linux --
> Linux and not FreeBSD!

I don't see how using FreeBSD dissociates anyone from the open source 
model. 99% of what you use with Linux and FBSD is the same stuff. 
Both use the GNU software that comes for free. The only difference is 
the kernel. Both of them allow you to use FSF's software and develop 
you own apps. When the GNU Hurd is available(if it ever will be), 
you'll have another option. Maybe you'll want to switch over then, in 
favour of the micro-kernel arch..Will your switch reflect as being a 
betrayal of the Linux community? Don't think so. Both have their 
sources out in the open if you want to develop. It is a case of 
trying out the stuff and seeing if you can do what you want with it, 
and do it better.If Linux does it for you fine, if FBSD does it fine, 
heck, if MS Win satisfies you, stick to it. If the only reason for 
choosing an OS is the license, then I guess,all my "logic" falls 
flat:->

	-Regards
	 SP

PS: Indro, could you please set you MUA to wrap long lines, to 
something like 72-76 chars. My prog here has problems handling the 
loooong lines;-)