Re: is free, open source software ethical?

Daniel Pitts <newsgroup.spamfilter@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:

> The difference is that the GPLed algebra tutor can be taken up by anyone
> (including the struggling company), and used, modified, updated,
> resold. You can't do that with material goods.

I only want to emphasize that the GPL (i.e. free software in the RMS
sense)
is the decisive factor here.  Most commercial companies live and thrive
very much due to public domain and BSD software floating around provided
to
all of us mostly by government funding.

In contrast, it is difficult for companies to use GPL software in the way
you describe above, because they might have to put all their sources
connected with the GPL piece under GPL.  At least, some business models of
making money easily do not work anymore.  (Some years ago, an internal
report of two Microsoft engineers about OSS leaked out, with more or less
this content: BSD - wonderful for us, GPL - evil).

Nicolas

P.S.: There is at least one newsgroup specifically dedicated to discussing
these issues, namely gnu.misc.discuss.