Subject: Re: Better than..
To: Laine Stump <lainestump@rcn.com>
From: Thomas Michael Wanka <tm_wanka@earthling.net>
List: netbsd-advocacy
Date: 02/25/2000 07:56:16
Hi,
the ideology lies under the license, that is from your ideologie you
create or choose a license that will fit your ideas or needs best.
After a license is choosen however it will be a legal problem.
I wonder about (from what I know about the BSD license) if it was
possible to create a NetBSD distribution and publish it under the
GPL (with the limitation of the advertising section of the BSD
license). I think it is clear that the BSD license is not good for all
purposes (like e.g. if Java was under the BSD license there was no
possibility to prevent MS to add hardware specific "features"
destroing Javas attempt to be hardwareindependent).
I think it was possible to create a NetBSD boot system that invokes
an install routine that will compile a new kernel with a warning
message - this new kernel was distributed as source and therefore
could include GPL software.
I find it is not too easy to find out what parts of a NetBSD system is
under what license, but I am glad to know, that at least the kernel will
for shure be under the BSD license.
I think the average user will not care too much about licenses as
loong as they get a good and stable piece of software they can work
with.
Personally I think the current way NetBSD is working needs no
changes and possible restrictions make that special charme of this
OS.
mike