 MaxoYour tax dollars at work.Premium,VIP
join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL
1 edit | Lets go over some facts.
1. The Linux kernel code is licensed under the GPLv2.
2. The GPLv2 prohibits proprietary derivatives.
3. Changing the Linux kernel code's license would require contacting every author of every line of code in the current Linux kernel and receiving permission from all of them, or those pieces would need to be rewritten.
So even if there was an atmosphere of general acceptance of proprietary derivatives in the Linux community it would be so hard to do legally as to render it impossible anyways.
People who wish to create derivatives of GPLed code either need to obey the term of the license, or accept that they find the license terms unacceptable. Proprietary software is much more restrictive, but you don't see people pitching a fit about obeying their licensing terms. Hell, in most cases creating derivatives of proprietary code is not allowed and illegal.
The viral nature of the GPL has had some big wins, including the massive amount of GPL code Microsoft wrote to get their Hypervisor to work properly on Linux. So there are some wins, and there are some losses.
Update: Fixed confusing wording.
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"Padre, nobody said war was fun now bowl!" - Sherman T Potter
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