Originally posted by randomizer
View Post
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
PHP5 JSON Still In A Licensing Mess
Collapse
X
-
Originally posted by Sidicas View PostYes! Get this garbage out of Debian ASAP!
I'll say it before and I'll say it again, programmers make terrible lawyers and vice versa.
Devil's Advocate:
So I heard you were considering using this open source software on your PC. As it turns out, I have a company that employs a few dozen people and we developed a proprietary solution that costs a few hundred dollars to use on your PC. It has been reported to us anonymously that you have unfortunately decided not to purchase our software.
We'd like to inform you that by not purchasing our software we cannot continue to keep our employees employed, and our employees feel that you are doing evil to them and so you don't actually have a license to use the "open source" software that you're using.
In addition to that, an economist has determined that by not purchasing our software, this causes damage to our local economy which we take as an additional sign that you are using this open source software for evil and are in violation of the open source software's licensing agreement that specifically says the software can be used for good, and not evil!
As a matter of fact, one of our employees recently had a baby and we're looking at having to downsize because nobody buys our software. They're going to lose their house because they can't make payments and they're going to be forced to move in with their parents. Clearly, anybody can see that forcing such a situation onto somebody, is the work of a mastermind of pure evil.
As such, we're just informing you that you don't actually have a license to use the open source software and continuing to use it is just the same crime as pirating any copy of Microsoft Windows without a license.
Of course, we offer you a licensing option of our software that you can purchase from us and we'll guarantee that you won't be in violation of any licenses.
/Devil's Advocate
Think this couldn't happen? That's what people said about SCO vs. IBM.. That's what people said about the NSA.. If you make bullshit changes to a license you damn well better know what you're doing and programmers usually don't when it comes to licenses.
Again, as a Debian user I want to see this garbage get kicked out of Debian and let's make something a lot better that's actually "free".
Lawyers absolutely *LOVE* undefined "good/evil" terms in licenses, because they can be bent and twisted to mean anything they want them to mean! In fact in one court case it can be twisted to mean one thing and in another it can be twisted to mean the opposite. That's why the GPL and other well written licenses doesn't have this kind of crap.
Comment
-
Originally posted by duby229 View PostI didn't say anything at all about cheeseburgers, so you can please stop trying to change what we are talking about. And I couldnt care any less whether people agreed with me or not. The first statement I made was that it was just my opinion. You are free to disagree with me if you want.... But you see theres that word free..... In all commonly accepted usages of that word it means something different than what Stallman tries to impose on it....
Any word can be defined by its context. The context that Stallman imposes is definitely not the common context.
EDIT: Is the GPL open source? Definitely yes and permanently. Is it free? Definitely no. It's the copyleft that makes it so. It makes it permanently open source, but also makes it so I'm not free to do a lot of things.
Comment
-
Originally posted by Serge View PostPeople can say a lot of things about how they perceive different licenses and your compliance with them. In the US and many other similar jurisdictions, they can't bring suit against you if they are not the rights holder.
Comment
-
Originally posted by peppercats View PostI hope Microsoft sues everyone who uses this license because they see any software that competes with their own as evil, and to them, the software is evil and unlawful.
Comment
-
Originally posted by GreatEmerald View PostThe rights holder is around, and you can't be certain he won't sue you for using the software for what he perceives to be evil.
Comment
-
Originally posted by duby229 View PostI didn't say anything at all about cheeseburgers, so you can please stop trying to change what we are talking about.
You see, there's such a thing as metaphors. They're a literary device, they're similar to similes, and both metaphors and similes are analogies. Analogies are when you describe some thing by talking about some other thing. When you are trying to explain a complex thing to a person who seems to have some trouble understanding it, it's often good to use analogies, since they allow you to explain the thing in much more simpler terms, and compare a complex issue to a simpler one to make it easier to understand.
So! The cheeseburger is not actually a cheeseburger. Can you guess what is meant by the cheeseburger? That'll be your homework for next time.
And I couldnt care any less whether people agreed with me or not. The first statement I made was that it was just my opinion. You are free to disagree with me if you want.... But you see theres that word free..... In all commonly accepted usages of that word it means something different than what Stallman tries to impose on it....
Any word can be defined by its context. The context that Stallman imposes is definitely not the common context.
EDIT: Is the GPL open source? Definitely yes and permanently. Is it free? Definitely no. It's the copyleft that makes it so. It makes it permanently open source, but also makes it so I'm not free to do a lot of things.
You're free to use GPL software however you want, as long as you're not taking away other people's freedoms to do the same. It's a limited freedom, just like every other freedom ever. How does it not fit the commonly accepted meaning of "free"?
Comment
-
Originally posted by dee. View PostOk, I can see this is going to be harder than I thought.
You see, there's such a thing as metaphors. They're a literary device, they're similar to similes, and both metaphors and similes are analogies. Analogies are when you describe some thing by talking about some other thing. When you are trying to explain a complex thing to a person who seems to have some trouble understanding it, it's often good to use analogies, since they allow you to explain the thing in much more simpler terms, and compare a complex issue to a simpler one to make it easier to understand.
So! The cheeseburger is not actually a cheeseburger. Can you guess what is meant by the cheeseburger? That'll be your homework for next time.
Come on now. You can't possibly be that stupid.
No it doesn't. You're trying to redefine words again. The GPL provides freedoms to use, distribute, examine and modify the software. It protects the user from someone taking away those freedoms. The word Free (libre) is being used correctly.
Yes it is. It's free as in free speech. Not free as in free beer. Blame the english language for using the same word for two entirely different and unrelated concepts.
You're always "not free to do a lot of things", so by that definition, nothing in this world is free. Every freedom is limited. You have free speech, but you're not allowed to yell "fire" in a crowded theather. Yet, we don't call the freedom of speech "non-free" simply because it's a limited freedom. (Hey, will you look at that, we're using analogies again!) The BSD license also limits your freedom (by 3 or 4 clauses, even), and even if you release under public domain, there can still be some implied limitations depending on jurisdiction. Even disregarding the license, there are STILL limitations in the law limiting what you're allowed to do with any software. You're not free to take the source code, print it, and bludgeon someone to death with the stack of papers, for example.
You're free to use GPL software however you want, as long as you're not taking away other people's freedoms to do the same. It's a limited freedom, just like every other freedom ever. How does it not fit the commonly accepted meaning of "free"?
I'm never going to change my mind. arguing with me on this is a lot like arguing with a brick wall.... it's pointless.Last edited by duby229; 23 August 2013, 12:04 AM.
Comment
Comment