[Asterisk-Users] Re: Advice on OS Choice

[Kevin Walsh]

> In our last exciting episode, Kevin Walsh (kevin at cursor.biz) said:
> > Perhaps "steal" was a bit harsh then.  Maybe I should have said Apple,
> > Microsoft and others "close the source with no compensation nor
> > recognition given to the original authors, as allowed by the stupid BSD
> > license."  It's the authors' fault really.  They live and learn. 
> > Perhaps they'll use the GPL next time.
> >
> The BSD license says nothing about compensation; have you read it lately?
> 
>  * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
>  * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
>  * are met:
>  * 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
>  *    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
>  * 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
>  *    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
>  *    documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
> 
> Nope, not in there. Sorry.
>
Perhaps you should have read my article before rushing to respond.
If you did then you'd notice the "as allowed by the stupid BSD license"
part.

> 
> You are mocking software authors who make a CONSCIOUS choice to use the
> BSD license (or other BSD-style licenses) by calling it "stupid". Perhaps
> they are uncomfortable with some of the restrictions imposed by the GPL?
>
The original author would have no "restrictions" imposed upon them.
The "restriction" applies to people who would like to close the source
and incorporate it into a preparatory, closed source, product.

Perhaps you'd be happy to see Asterisk released under a BSD license,
rather than the GPL.  Perhaps you'd also be happy to see a "Microsoft
PBX" with "embrace and extend" features and a future defacto standard
closed-source MS-IAX protocol.  The GPL prevents this and thereby
protects software freedom, the BSD license would not.

-- 
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