Re: LPGL (was "GCC2 merging")

[Richard Stallman <rms at gnu dot org>]

    Maybe the way to think of this, from the GNU perspective, is to remember
    that we want to cooperate with the non-copyleft freeware people (the BSD
    folks, XFree86, Wine, etc).  They will need to use the compiler and
    standard libraries and still be able to use the licenses they prefer,
    and this should be acceptable to free software advocates.

The general GNU perspective is that we want to encourage copyleft
as much as possible.

In some cases there is a strategic reason not to copyleft a program,
or to make exceptions to copyleft.  The case we are discussing is one
of them: for standard macros and templates, we would not gain by
sticking to the strict GPL.  So it is better strategy to add an
exception.

But this is a special case.  The issue is different for specialized
and unique macros and templates, and for specialized and unique
libraries.  In those cases, we should use the ordinary GPL, so as to
give free software developers an advantage (that they can use these
macros and templates).

There are other free software projects that seek to discourage
copyleft.  In other words, on the issue of copyleft, they and the GNU
project have opposite goals.  We can cooperate with them in many ways,
but on the issue of copyleft, we are competitors.

Once in a while, we write a program whose usefulness depends on its
acceptance by one of those projects.  In those unusual cases, it is
better not to copyleft the program.  For example, when I was trying to
get X11 to have a GNU-standard configure script, I asked the volunteer
who wrote it to make it available under terms that the X Consortium
would accept.  I did that because this script would not serve any
purpose unless it were included in the X distribution.

But that is a very rare situation.  Most of the time, when other
projects ask us to change the distribution terms of a program to suit
their goals, we should follow the GNU project goals, and stick firmly
to copyleft.

For more about this issue, please see
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/x.html.