[om-list] Arguments against Copyleft

[Tom and other Packers]

Mark

    I liked this article against copyleft.  And I still like the MPL,
although they didn't necessary promote it solely.  One reason is, MPL seems
so simple and flexible -- basically what they were saying, I think.

    Have you gotten any of my recent letters sent from my work account?
They are about "brain storming" with Ben Oman.

tomp

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Butler" <butlerm at middle.net>
To: "One Model List" <om-list at onemodel.org>
Sent: Friday, 21 December, 2001 11:05
Subject: Re: [om-list] Arguments against Copyleft


I think the GPL is ideal for two kinds of products:

 1. Pervasive infrastructure products where there is a natural monopoly
 2. Products developed *primarily* by end-users, volunteers, and non-profits

However, it is virtually impossible to base a software company on software
that is completely GPL.  The reason is that while customers may be willing
to pay for support and minor enhancements, the income from support is not
sufficient to support significant research and development.  This is
especially true in narrow, low volume markets.

Because of the R&D costs involved, the leading edge software in narrow
markets will likely never be completely open source. The best we can hope
for is that companies can cooperate in shared libraries where the LGPL and
BSD style licenses are the only real options.

The disadvantages to the LGPL are primarily technical in nature. The extra
restrictions are designed to prevent proprietary forks, but they create
quite a bit of extra work - for example, the libraries *must* by dynamically
linked.

The argument depends on the empirical observation that the returns gained in
terms of extra participation by allowing the extra freedom of a BSD style
license are greater than the losses due to proprietary forks.

Apache and the incredible constellation of surrounding projects is proof
positive that open source products can thrive under BSD style licenses.
Companies produce and market proprietary enhanced versions of Apache all the
time, but the momentum of the open source line of development is sufficient
to encourage all those companies to use and contribute to the main open
source line of development.

 - Mark

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