Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!dptg!mtune!rkh
From: rkh@mtune.ATT.COM (Robert Halloran)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell
Subject: Re: ksh 11/16/88e now available in AT&T Toolchest
Message-ID: <822@mtune.ATT.COM>
Date: 3 Oct 90 12:39:57 GMT
References: <1990Sep28.205053.16456@cbnews.att.com> <TOWFIQ.90Oct2112703@lcxserver.InterLan.COM> <4140@lib.tmc.edu> <1990Oct2.180301.10897@cs.utk.edu>
Organization: AT&T BL Middletown/Lincroft NJ USA
Lines: 31

In article <1990Oct2.180301.10897@cs.utk.edu> Dave Sill <de5@ornl.gov> writes:
>In article <4140@lib.tmc.edu>, jmaynard@thesis1.hsch.utexas.edu (Jay Maynard) writes:
>>GNU stuff is *not* free. It costs something other than money, though: it costs
>>your freedom to do as you like with your code if you include even a line of
>>their code. $150 sure sounds cheap by comparison.
>
>Yes, their are restrictions on what you can do with *their*
>code--you're free to do whatever you want with your own code--but
>isn't that only fair?  And there is absolutely no reason why one would
>need to include a modified bash in their product, so the fear of it
>causing you to give your precious code away is baseless.

Of course, I thought the premise of FSF's forcing source distribution was
to *encourage* enhancements to their products.  Silly me.....

And yes, I think they ARE products; the General Public Virus (I like that term)
is as much a licensing agreement as anything shrinkwrapped on the back of
the latest Lotus release.  The terms may differ, but the idea of 'it's OUR
code and you have to play by OUR rules' is the same.

"I can't afford free software" is being heard quite a bit these days.  FSF's
attitude may have something to do with it.

						Bob Halloran
=========================================================================
Internet: rkh@mtune.dptg.att.com		UUCP: att!mtune!rkh		
Disclaimer: If you think AT&T would have ME as a spokesman, you're crazed.
Quote: "How do you know when a politician is lying?  His lips move." 
	- M-m-max Headroom
       "Read my lips - no new taxes..."  - G. Bush, 1988
=========================================================================