Re: Article: IBM wants to "clean up the license" of Linux (follow-up to Anders Melchiorsen)
Jon Hamilton (hamilton@pobox.com)
Sun, 20 Dec 1998 09:41:20 -0600
In message <367CE115.719BE9C0@teleteam.net>, Trever Adams wrote:
} Anders said:
} This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
} it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
} the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
} (at your option) any later version.
}
}
} If so, one would "just" have to convince FSF to change the license and
} produce a version 3 of it and all GPL'ed programs would follow. I think.
}
} ***
}
} Nice try. If it says that paragraph, then I can still use it under the
} GPL version 2, which would give me full rights.
You're missing the point. Say EvilCo got hold of some GPL software,
and managed to get the FSF to release a version 3 of the GPL which
allowed them to make binary-only releases. You may still have "full rights"
to the source released at the time, but EvilCo can still exercise the
"or any later version" option, modify the source, and release binaries only.
--
Jon Hamilton
hamilton@pobox.com
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