Old Linus interview

[Arun Sharma <adsharma@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://tlug.linux.or.jp/linus.html

[ Linux getting GPL'ed seems to have roots in Linus's dislike of Minix ]

HY: When and why did you decide to place Linux under GPL? Did you ever
regret not making it into a shareware?

Linus: 

[...]

I actually originally released Linux with complete sources under a
non-GPL copyright that was actually much more restrictive than the GPL:
it required that all sources always be available, and it also didn*t
allow any money to be exchanged for Linux at all (ie not only did I not
try to make money off it myself, but I also forbid anybody else to do so).

That original copyright was mainly a reaction against the operating
system I had been trying to use before Linux: "Minix". Minix was meant
to be a teaching operating system, but it had been to limited and in my
opinion too expensive for that. It was also hard to get hold of.

So when I made Linux, I wanted it to be easily available over ftp with
full sources, and I did _not_ want it to be too expensive for anybody.

I changed the copyright to the GPL within roughly half a year: it quickly
became evident that my original copyright was so restrictive that it
prohibited some entirely valid uses (disk copying services etc - this
was before CD-ROM's became really popular). And while I was nervous
about the GPL at first, I also wanted to show my appreciation to the
gcc C compiler that Linux depended on, which was obviously GPL'd.

Making Linux GPL'd was definitely the best thing I ever did.