48
Is time for GPL v 4.0?
(discuss.tchncs.de)
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2023
48 points (100.0% liked)
Free and Open Source Software
17729 readers
58 users here now
If it's free and open source and it's also software, it can be discussed here. Subcommunity of Technology.
This community's icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
I think if we want a GPLv4, it should not be made by the FSF.
Why is that, out of curiosity?
The FSF is a non-working organization which refuses to let go of its horrible founder. I hoped it would move on, it didn't and refused to despite massive amounts of community backlash. I no longer believe they should have any role in representing the Free Software movement.
I really like Stallman, the man that made me think about the importance of free software. In my opinion he is essential for free software movement even with some "controversial" ideas. I like the way he defends his ideas, is something rare nowadays.
I mean, I think his ideas on free software are good generally but his behaviour and opinions on other topics are pretty fucking terrible. I don't understand why people want to defend that part. The FSF can function without him and defend the ideas of Free Software.
I don't want to defend all of his ideas, but I do want to point out that he's most definitely neurodivergent, while having been used as a tackle target on several fronts by the same people claiming to defend people like him.
If you take a look at those "opinions" from a purely abstract and "internal musings" point of view, you realize that his main fault has been musing aloud while staying in the spotlight and repeating a PR stunt routine taken from an age when Bill Cosby was seen as a family role model.
Indeed, his ideas are often very controversial, he is a old man with old habits and I think he has some deficiency in the way he communicates with people that are contrary to his ideas and this fact makes everything even worse. I don't know what will be with FSF after him for good and bad.
Some of his ideas are very harmful and he is an abuser. I don't know what to tell you.
But ironically they are the "owner" of the license, anyone can't modify it
The GPL is a license made by the FSF, not sure who else could make a new version other than them. Other entities make their own licenses, which might or not be compatible with the GPL.
Anyone can make a license and make it compatible with the GPL but yes, I forgot that the FSF doesn't allow modifications of the GPL which is pretty fucking weird thinking more about it.
It makes sense, because it makes "GPL" act as a trademark and a guarantee that the license is what it's supposed to be. And they get that without even paying for a trademark registration, which also makes it a brilliant abuse of copyright law (which, arguably, is what the whole license is about in the first place).