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0 pointsynniv2y ago0 comments

  It's not for you to exploit to make a buck

Of course it is... That’s what Google does, that’s what all companies who are large enough to know how to work around the GPL do. Every company who uses it on their own servers without telling you, or even compiles and distributes it hoping that no one notices, does. And when they do, they sometimes contribute resources back to the project, which helps it to thrive.

The GPL is very ideological, and there’s nothing wrong with that but you can see the cost of that right here: where someone pointing out there is a hidden cost is shamed for doing so. Given the chance of contributing code or community to two similar projects, I prefer the one that’s more about building than it is about contracts.

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binary1322y ago

I'm simply explaining the point of GPL. Being able to work around the point doesn't mean it's not the point.

Do you really think it's fine and good for Google to take work explicitly intended by its authors to preserve free computing and work around the licensing to make money without preserving the intent and purpose of its license?

Shaming would be much stronger. I even pointed out that participating in it is totally elective and I personally would not in many cases.

Framing it in terms of your own cost/benefit is missing the point, though, and there is a meaningful and valuable purpose to it outside of maximizing your personal benefit in the moment of choosing a particular library.

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binary1322y ago

I'm simply explaining the point of GPL. Being able to work around the point doesn't mean it's not the point.

Shaming would be much stronger. I even pointed out that participating in it is totally elective and I personally would not in many cases.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse