Assuming that we're in agreement on using an open source license, my own
personal opinion is that we use a BSD-style license, most likely the
Apache license. In reality, I don't think there's an effective difference
between the GPL and BSD-style licenses. What I mean by that is, in
reality, the GPL license is not as viral as people suggest, and BSD-style
licenses are not as unviral as people suggest. So in terms of how
commercial-friendly the license is, how much the license encourages
contributions, etc., I really think both licenses are about equally
effective.
However, the GPL has several problems. One is simply perception. There's
a perception that the GPL is less commercially friendly than BSD licenses,
even though I disagree with that notion. Second, GPL has a fundamental
flaw in that it depends on a rigorous definition of boundaries between
software. This flaw has already caused problems. I have seen two types
of solutions. The first, the LGPL, doesn't do a better job of defining
things than the GPL does. The second, the Linux approach, where the group
leader more rigorously defines his intentions (i.e. writing proprietary
kernel modules does not violate the Linux license) is okay, but may not
hold up so well legally.
The BSD license is clear, it's flexible, and it's short. The reason I
suggest using the Apache license as a model is that their organizational
model is similar to ours (non-profit umbrella organization sponsoring the
project, with public and private funding), and the IBM lawyers have gone
over its license rigorously. So we can bootstrap on their efforts.
-Eugene
-- +=== Eugene Eric Kim ===== eekim@eekim.com ===== http://www.eekim.com/ ===+ | "Writer's block is a fancy term made up by whiners so they | +===== can have an excuse to drink alcohol." --Steve Martin ===========+------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now the best and coolest websites come right to you based on your unique interests. eTour.com is surfing without searching. And, it's FREE! http://click.egroups.com/1/3013/3/_/444287/_/957322200/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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