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Re: SGI releases IA64 C C++ and F90 compiler under GPL




On Sun, 21 May 2000, Toon Moene wrote:
> 
> The fact that we conclude that we cannot does not lay moral blame on SGI
> - they are fully in their right to publish a GPL'd compiler, and if
> people want to use it in preference to the one that comes installed with
> their Linux/*BSD distribution, they are free to do so.
> 
> I do not see where we infringe on that freedom.

I do not think anybody infringes on their freedom. They have, after all,
the freedom to ignore the FSF completely. As does anybody else.

It's good that nobody blames them. Although even that is not what I
thought the sense of the discussion in question was: it sounded like
people _did_ indeed blame them to some degree. I wanted to bring up the
fact that people _should_ question the FSF too. Not just assume that they
can do no evil.

I think the FSF requirements for copyright assignment are bad for two
reasons:

 - There _are_ "network effects" in play, and Cygnus essentially has a
   monopoly on gcc for that reason. Not because of legal standing, but
   because of mindshare and marketshare. This is not bad in itself: I
   think the GPL is quite sufficient in keeping people honest. But it does
   mean that there are other powers than just the copyright license at
   play. And I think the FSF tries to milk that power for all it has got. 

   (I understand that kind of power quite well - it is, after all, the
   same power that I hold over Linux. I try to keep my influence pretty
   much technical, though. Most of the time.)

 - The requirement to do the copyright assignment is quite controversial.
   Here the avowed anti-hoarder is himself hoarding stuff, "in the name of
   good". Why? I've heard some legal excuses, but I have yet to hear a
   single ethical excuse for it. And I do not think that there is one.

Copyrights are _important_. I do not see why the FSF thinks it should
control them. Why aren't people questioning that rule more? Why did I only
see this mindless drone mentality saying "SGI should assign. SGI should
assign. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated assuming you just
assign."

		Linus


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